Appreciating the sustained military offensive against the Taliban in the Swat Valley, a top U.S. general today said Pakistani Army has achieved "operational surprise" in the region, given the adverse conditions they went into. "I believe they achieved operational surprise which is really difficult in this day and age, with constant media coverage and the speed of the Internet," General James Conway, Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps said at a National Press Club luncheon. "They have achieved operational surprise because they did what they are doing now from a standing start," he said. "There was no threat, there was no buildup of military capability, there were no warning shots provided. With the forces they have in the field, they simply started going at the Taliban and the al Qaeda in the Swat," Gen. Conway said. Praising that Pakistan has been able to sustain such an effort so far, Gen. Conway said: "General Kayani would say that I am recognising that we are accepting risk here, but this is an existential threat and he is doing something about it." Gen. Conway said they have done masterful things with regard to the information operations effort that must be in place when one takes these people on. "You see the villagers siding with the army now, conducting independent operations or being relying upon the Army to assist them in what they're doing. "It all is very wholesome. We wish them continued success and salute them for what I think, again, has been a masterful military manoeuvre at this point, based on what we've seen," Gen. Conway said.