Three soldiers were martyred and five terrorists killed in a gun battle triggered by the extremists’ attempt to infiltrate into Pakistan via Afghanistan near Bajaur district, the Inter-Service Public Relation (ISPR) said on Monday.
In a statement, the military’s media wing said security forces had noticed the movement of a group of terrorists trying to breach the Pak-Afghan border on the night between Aug. 18 and 19. “Own troops effectively engaged and thwarted their attempt to infiltrate. Resultantly, five khwarij of Fitna al Khwarij were sent to hell, while four khwarij got injured,” it said, adding Pakistani soldiers had fought gallantly and embraced martyrdom.
The ISPR identified the martyred soldiers as Sepoy Waqar Khan, 25, resident of Khyber district; Lance Naik Umer Hayat, 35, resident of Mansehra; and Naik Inayat Khan, 36, resident of Peshawar.
The statement stressed that Pakistan has been consistently asking the interim government in Afghanistan to ensure effective border management on their side of the border. “Interim Afghan government is expected to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by khwarij for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan,” it said, vowing that the security forces of Pakistan remained committed to securing its borders and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers only further strengthened this resolve.
Pakistan is currently in the midst of a terror resurgence arising out of the Taliban returning to power in Afghanistan in 2021. The terrorism is primarily targeting the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which share borders with Afghanistan.