At least three security personnel were martyred and 12 others injured as militants staged attacks on three separate security posts in the Tirah Valley of Khyber district on Friday morning.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) identified the martyred soldiers as Havildar Inam Gul, 37, resident of Mianwali district; Sepoy Muhammad Imran, 29, resident of Tank district; and Sepoy Iltaf Khan, 22, resident of Mardan district. It said the soldiers had fought gallantly and slain four militants in the assault.
Reportedly, the militants were infiltrating the Rajgal Valley from Afghanistan when security forces intercepted them. The ISPR described the militants as “Khwarij,” its term for the banned Gul Bahadur group and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
The military statement said a sanitization operation was underway in the region to eliminate any other “Kharji” found in the area, stressing that security forces were determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen the resolve.
In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said P.M. Shehbaz Sharif had lauded the officers and soldiers of the Pakistan Army for their “successful operation against terrorists” in the Tirah Valley. Commending the military’s efforts for cleansing Pakistan’s soil of the menace of terrorism, he said it was a critical mission to rid the nation of extremist threats. He also paid tribute to the soldiers who laid down their lives during the operation.
Earlier this week, the Interior Ministry issued a notification designating the TTP as Fitna al Khawarij and banning the Majeed Brigade and Gul Bahadur group. The move is being seen as an advancement of the government’s Vision Azm-e-Istehkam, which has been dubbed a “whole-of-the-nation” approach to countering terrorism.
Pakistan is currently in the midst of a terror resurgence, especially in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces. In a recent report, the Center for Research and Security Studies said the second quarter of 2023 saw 380 violence-linked fatalities in Pakistan and 220 injuries among civilians, security personnel, and outlaws from 240 incidents of terror attacks and counter-terror operations.