According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), an intense exchange of fire took place between security personnel and terrorists during the operation conducted on May 23.
“Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed terrorists who remained actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces as well as extortion and targeted killing of innocent citizens,” it said.
The ISPR further stated that sanitisation of the area was being carried out to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area.
“Locals of the area appreciated the operation and expressed their full support to eliminate the menace of terrorism,” the military’s statement added.
On May 21, two soldiers were martyred and three terrorists were killed during an operation in the Tank district.
Pakistan has seen an uptick in terror activities, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in November.
In his maiden press briefing last month, ISPR Director General Maj Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that at least 293 people were martyred and 521 were injured in 436 terrorist incidents over the past year.
In KP, 192 people were martyred in 219 terror activities, while 80 people lost lives in 206 incidents in Balochistan, 14 people in five attacks in Punjab, and seven in six terrorism incidents across Sindh.
He had said that the army and law enforcement agencies carried out 8,269 intelligence-based operations during the previous year in which 1,378 suspected terrorists were apprehended and 157 were killed.
The DG ISPR had also said that overall 137 security personnel were martyred and 117 injured in anti-terror operations in the ongoing year.
Two soldiers of the Pakistan Army and a policeman were martyred on Wednesday in a suicide bombing in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan district.
The suicide bomber, driving a vehicle, also claimed the life of an innocent civilian, according to the press release from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
The martyred soldiers have been identified as Naik Said Ullah Shah, a 33-year-old resident of Charsadda, and Sepoy Jawad Khan, a 31-year-old resident of District Haripur.
Police Constable Hakeem Jan, a resident of North Waziristan district, from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police department, also fell victim to the attack.
According to the ISPR press release, the suicide bomber intended to target a public gathering to cause mass casualties
However, a major catastrophe was averted due to the swift response from the security forces who intercepted the suspicious vehicle.
In doing so, these brave men laid down their lives, preventing the bomber from reaching a highly populated area and thereby saving countless innocent lives, the ISPR said.
In the wake of this tragic event, the ISPR has reaffirmed its commitment to eliminating the menace of terrorism from the country.
"Security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers and innocent citizens further strengthen our resolve," the military’s media stated.
Earlier on Wednesday, at least four other people, including three security personnel, were martyred in a blast targetting the Liaquat Checkpost in Datta Khel tehsil of Miran Shah.
The country has witnessed a spike in bombings and terrorist attacks in recent months.
On May 19, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Amir Sirajul Haq’s convoy was hit by a bomb attack in Balochistan’s Zhob district. While the JI leader narrowly escaped the alleged suicide bombing, at least four people were injured, and his vehicle was partly damaged. Law enforcement authorities claimed that the attacker’s body was found at the site of the blast.
