RAWALPINDI: Two soldiers were martyred and nine terrorists were neutralized in fire exchange with security forces during two separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the military’s media wing.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the engagements occurred on Friday and Saturday.
In the first, security forces carried out an intelligence-based operation in KP’s Mohmand district during which seven terrorists were “sent to hell” after troops “effectively engaged” them at their location, it said.
However, the ISPR added that Havildar Muhammad Zahid, 37, of Malakand district and Sepoy Aftab Ali Shah, 26, of Chitral district “rendered the ultimate sacrifice” and were martyred during the intense fire exchange after “having fought gallantly”.
In another encounter that took place in the general area of Maddi in the Dera Ismail Khan District, the ISPR said troops exchanged fire with terrorists, killing two of them.
It added that weapons and ammunition were recovered from the slain terrorists who were actively involved in numerous terrorist activities.
The ISPR said sanitisation operations were being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area. “Security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country,” it concluded.
PM and Interior Minister laud security forces for successful operations
Following the successful operations, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Saturday lauded the officers and Jawans of security forces for successful intelligence based operation against Fitna Al-Khawarij in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He appreciated the officers and Jawans of security forces for their professional capabilities for eliminating nine Khawarij in Mohmand and Dera Ismail Khan.
He paid tribute to Havaldar Muhammad Zahid and Sepoy Aftab Ali Shah for embracing martyrdom for the country while fighting bravely and killing Khawarij.
He prayed for the elevation of ranks of martyrs in Jannah and for the grant of patience to the bereaved families.
He said the war against the menace of terrorism would continue till its complete eradication from the country.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi paid tribute to the security forces for their successful operations against terrorists, according to a statement posted on X.
Naqvi also paid tribute to the the two martyred soldiers, extending his condolences to their families.
Earlier on Thursday, security forces thwarted an attack on a checkpost near FC Fort in South Waziristan’s Jandola area and had killed 10 terrorists.
Earlier this month, 16 terrorists were killed, while five soldiers were martyred as security forces responded to a terrorist attack on the Bannu Cantonment in KP’s namesake district.
The Islamabad-based think tank, Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), revealed in its report that February saw a marginal increase in terrorist attacks but a sharp surge in civilian casualties.
According to PICSS, the country witnessed 79 terrorist attacks last month, resulting in the deaths of 55 civilians and 47 security personnel, while 45 civilians and 81 security personnel were injured. Security forces, meanwhile, intensified counter-terrorism operations, eliminating 156 terrorists, injuring 20, and arresting 66, it said.
