Soldier martyred, 5 militants killed in Waziristan clashes

MIRANSHAH: Five militants were killed and a soldier was martyred in two separate clashes between the security forces and the miscreants in North Waziristan district, official sources said on Sunday.

The sources said that the security forces acting on a tip-off about the presence of militants and facilitators in Speenwam raided their hideout Saturday night. They said that the militants opened fire on the security personnel triggering a clash.

The sources added that the soldiers returned the fire and the encounter continued for some time.

The official sources said that five militants affiliated with Hafiz Gul Bahadur’s faction were killed in the incident. Hafiz Gul Bahadur is a militant commander from North Waziristan who fled to Afghanistan along with his men at the time of Pakistan’s security forces’ military operation, Zarb-e-Azb, in June 2014.

Meanwhile, official sources said that unidentified miscreants attacked the Boya security checkpost near Dattakhel with heavy and light weapons. Havaldar Akbar was martyred while Sepoy Saeed, Sepoy Yasir and Sepoy Shafqat sustained injuries in the attack.

The body of the fallen soldier and the injured were airlifted in a helicopter to FTC Hospital in Miranshah, headquarters of North Waziristan district.