As many as six army soldiers, including a captain, were martyred and seven terrorists killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Kurram District, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), in a statement, said that security forces conducted an IBO in the Dogar area on the reported presence of India-backed Fitna al-khawarij terrorists.
“However, during the intense fire exchange, Captain Noman Saleem (age: 24 years, resident of District Mianwali) a brave young Medical officer who besides performing the duties of medical care also fought gallantly and embraced Shahadat along with his five men,” the ISPR statement read.
The other five martyred soldiers include 39-year-old Havildar Amjad Ali, 36-year-old Naik Waqas Ahmad, 23-year-old Sepoy Aijaz Ali, 23-year-old Sepoy Muhammad Waleed, and 32-year-old Sepoy Muhammad Shahbaz.
A sanitisation operation is underway to eliminate any other Indian sponsored Fitna al-khawarij terrorists found in the area.
The ISPR stated that the IBO was part of the armed forces’ effort to eradicate terrorism under the Azm-e-Istehkam operation.
President Asif Ali Zardari paid tribute to the martyred captain and the five soldiers, who laid down their lives for the motherland.
He lauded the forces’ bravery against India-backed Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists, reaffirming the nation’s commitment to eradicating terrorism from the country.
Cross-border terrorism in Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise since the Taliban grabbed power in Afghanistan in 2021.
The government has repeatedly urged the Taliban regime to rein in terrorist groups responsible for countless attacks in Pakistan.
However, the Taliban regime largely remained indifferent to Pakistan’s demands and provided refuge to multiple terrorist groups targeting security forces and civilians.
Instead of addressing Pakistan’s concerns about cross-border terrorism, the Taliban regime resorted to unprovoked firing along the border on October 12.
Pakistan Armed Forces retaliated swiftly, killing over 200 Taliban fighters and affiliated militants; however, as many as 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred during the border clashes.
Security forces also conducted strikes inside Afghanistan, including in Kabul, destroying terrorists’ hideouts in the country.
Hostilities between forces of the two nations ceased after Pakistan accepted the Taliban regime’s request for a temporary ceasefire on October 17.
Delegations from the two countries later met for talks mediated by Qatar in Doha, where they agreed on a ceasefire agreement.
Turkiye then hosted the second round of talks in Istanbul, which began on October 25.
However, the talks ended inconclusively after five days over what Pakistani authorities described as the Taliban delegation’s “illogical” arguments, which they said were “detached from ground realities”.
