"Though there is an improvement in the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and Northeast, there cannot be any curtailment of army's role in combating terrorism," Kapoor, who took over the top slot from General J J Singh, said.

The Army Chief made it clear that the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir did not warrant any withdrawal of forces.

"As and when things improve, we can take a fresh look on troop positions," he said and asserted that the present ‘strategy’ of pinpointed raids on militant hideouts in Jammu and Kashmir was paying ‘dividends’.

"We want the situation in J&K to further improve to give people a chance to live in peace," Kapoor, who has served as Northern Army Commander for more than a year, said adding the multi-layer deployment of forces was leading to reduction in violence in the state.

Kapoor, an artillery officer, who has the distinction of acquiring a Masters Degree in Business Administration, said his thrust would be to make sure that the army gets cutting edge tools to make it operationally ready to face futuristic digital wars.