Lt Gen Masood Aslam took charge of the sensitive post of Corps Commander Peshawar, also known as XI Corps, replacing Lt Gen Muhammad Hamid Khan. This was period when Pakistan Army launched military operation against the vigilantes of Lal Masjid in Islamabad that followed with a rising trend of terrorist attacks throughout Pakistan, mostly emanating from the rugged lands of Waziristan and the surrounding tribal regions. A counter-terrorist operation was then launched under the general.