At least two Pakistan Army soldiers embraced martyrdom while nine terrorists were gunned down in two separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military’s media wing said on Saturday.
According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Mohmand District on the reported presence of terrorists.
“During the conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged [their] location, resultantly, seven khwarij were sent to hell,” it said.
However, during an intense fire exchange, two soldiers – Havildar Muhammad Zahid, a resident of District Malakand, and Sepoy Aftab Ali Shah, a resident of District Chitral, rendered the “ultimate sacrifice and embraced martyrdom”.
In another encounter that took place in the general area of Maddi, Dera Ismail Khan District, a fire exchange took place between security forces and terrorists. Resultantly, two terrorists were effectively neutralised.
Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities, the ISPR said.
“Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Kharji found in the area,” it said, adding that the security forces were determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country.
Separately, four police stations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu and Lakki Marwat districts came under attack overnight by terrorists but they were repelled and no casualties were reported, officials said on Saturday.
According to official statements issued by the police, terrorists targeted two police stations in Lakki Marwat last night while two cops were injured in a roadside blast. Meanwhile, another two police stations and a checkpost came under attack in Bannu.
The outlawed TTP claimed responsibility for all these attacks in the two districts in separate statements.
A statement by the Lakki Marwat police said terrorists attacked the Dadiwala and Pezo police stations on Friday night but “both attacks were repelled due to timely action by the police”. No casualties were reported in either of the assaults.
However, the statement added that two cops were injured while one of the attackers was killed in retaliatory action as a roadside bomb targeted a police vehicle on Lakki Marwat’s Landiwah Road.
The police said militants carried out an improvised explosive device blast on Friday, injuring two policemen, including the driver.
One attacker was also killed “due to timely action by the police”, the statement said, adding that a search operation was conducted to apprehend his accomplice.
Lakki Marwat Deputy Commissioner Zeeshan Abdullah had issued a threat alert yesterday, according to the police.
In Bannu, unidentified men attacked the Khojri police post, as well as hurled hand grenades and opened fire at the Ghoriwala and Bakakhel police stations on late Friday night, police said.
“Armed motorcyclists hurled two hand grenades at Khojri police post. After the attack on the police post, village elders came out with weapons to protect the police post,” the police said in a statement.
It quoted the locals as saying that they would protect the checkpost and that the people, along with the cops, “chanted slogans of long live the police”.
Regarding the attack by unidentified armed men on the Ghoriwala and Bakakhel police stations, the statement said the police “responded vigorously and the attackers fled”.
No casualties were reported in the attacks, the police added.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi commended the police for their timely action and foiling the attacks.
