Three soldiers martyred in exchange of fire with terrorists in South Waziristan

Three Pakistan Army soldiers embraced martyrdom in an exchange of fire with terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s South Waziristan district, the military’s media wing said on Tuesday.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the three brave soldiers — Sepoy Asad Ullah, 30, resident of Mitiari district; Sepoy Muhammad Sufyan,28, resident of DI Khan district and Non-Combatant Bearer Zain Ali,24, resident of Bahwalnagar district — having fought gallantly, embraced martyrdom during intense exchange of fire.

Sanitisation operation is being carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the area, the ISPR added.

“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.

The latest incident comes only hours after a Pakistan Army captain embraced martyrdom in a gunbattle with terrorists in KP’s North Waziristan district, as per the ISPR.

The military’s media wing said 24-year-old Captain Muhammad Osama bin Arshad, a resident of Rawalpindi district, laid down his life in the motherland's defence.

The ISPR further said that two terrorists were also killed as troops effectively engaged the terrorists' location during the fierce exchange of gunfire.

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.