Army captain martyred, two terrorists killed in North Waziristan gunfight: ISPR

RAWALPINDI: A Pakistan Army captain was martyred in gunfight with terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's North Waziristan district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Tuesday.

The martyred army officer has been identified as 24-year-old Captain Muhammad Osama bin Arshad, a resident of Rawalpindi district, according to the military's media wing.

“On 9 July 2024, a fire exchange took place between security forces and terrorists in the North Waziristan district,” the military’s media wing said.

The ISPR statement said that two terrorists “were sent to hell” as troops effectively engaged effectively engaged the terrorists' location during the fierce exchange of gunfire.

However, Captain Muhammad Osama, who led his troops from the front, fighting gallantly, made the ultimate sacrifice and embraced Shahadat, the ISPR said.

The ISPR further said that the sanitisation operation is being carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the area.

“Security forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the country and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve," it added.

Last week, the security forces conducted the IBO on the reported presence of high-profile local terrorist commander Irfan Ullah Adnan, who was killed during an intense exchange of fire, the ISPR had said.

The slain terrorist was actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces as well as extortion and targeted killings of innocent civilians, according to the ISPR. He was a most-wanted terrorist by law-enforcement agencies.

Since the Taliban came into power in Afghanistan in 2021, Pakistan has witnessed a significant surge in terrorist attacks on security forces, especially in provinces bordering the neighbouring country in recent months with the militants using advanced weaponry and equipment.

With the security forces hitting hard on terrorism, frequency of such incidents of violence went down in recent month. The Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) Annual Security report stated that during the second quarter of the current year, Pakistan witnessed 380 violence-linked fatalities and 220 injuries among civilians, security personnel, and outlaws, resulting from as many as 240 incidents of terror attacks and counter-terror operations.

In the backdrop of this, the federal cabinet last month approved the launching of the counter-terrorism operation — Operation Azm-e-Istehkam — following the National Action Plan's Central Apex Committee's recommendations to root out terrorism from the country.