Six soldiers were martyred and three terrorists killed on Thursday during an exchange of fire in the general area of Dirduni, North Waziristan, according the military’s media wing.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Pakistan Army troops had “effectively” engaged the terrorists in North Waziristan, killing three and injuring another two. However, it said, six soldiers were martyred during the “intense exchange of fire”: Havaldar Saleem Khan, 36, resident of Tank; Naik Javed lqbal, 37, resident of Kohat; Sepoy Nazir Khan, 26, resident of Bannu; Sepoy Hazrat Bilal, 25, resident of Mardan; Sepoy Syed Rajab Hussain, 22, resident of Orakzai; and Sepoy Bismillah Jan, 22, resident of Khyber.
The military’s media wing said sanitization of the area was ongoing, adding that troops would eliminate any remaining terrorists in the area. “Security forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” it added.
There has been a resurgence of terrorism across Pakistan, but particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan unilaterally ended a ceasefire with the government last year. In recent months, both the government and the armed forces have blamed the resurgence on a past policy to “resettle” in Pakistan militants who had been hiding in Afghanistan.