Three soldiers were martyred on Thursday and two terrorists slain following an intense exchange of fire in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The military’s media wing said Subedar Shuja Muhammad, 43, resident of Khairpur; Naik Muhammad Ramzan, 32, resident of Khuzdar; and Sepoy Abdul Rehman, 30, resident of Sukkur were martyred in the gunfight during which troops had “bravely” and “effectively” engaged terrorists at their hideout in Kurram’s Arawali area. It said weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the slain terrorists, who were “actively involved in terror-related activities against security forces.”
“Sanitization of the area is being carried out to eliminate any [remaining] terrorists found in the area,” read the ISPR statement. It emphasized that the military was “determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism” and sacrifices of brave soldiers further strengthened this resolve.
There has been a marked surge in terrorism across Pakistan, especially in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, since the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan unilaterally ended a ceasefire it had inked last year and directed its fighter to target security forces “wherever they can.” Last week, a suicide bomber detonated explosives in Islamabad, martyring one policeman, and triggering the imposition of a ‘red alert’ in the federal capital.
The Pakistan Army and the civilian government, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, have both vowed to eradicate terrorism from Pakistan, with a recent Corps Commanders Conference pledging to target all terrorists “without any distinction.” The government has also convened a meeting of the National Security Committee today (Friday) to review the prevailing security situation and enact policies to tackle the resurgent terrorists.