16 Terrorists Killed, Two Soldiers Martyred in North Waziristan: ISPR
The military described the operations as a significant blow to the terrorist network operating in the region.
Pakistan’s security forces killed 16 terrorists, including two Afghan nationals, during a series of intelligence-based operations in North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military’s media wing said on Saturday.
According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces targeted multiple locations of terrorists belonging to the Indian-sponsored “Fitna al-Khawarij” in Mir Ali, Datta Khel and surrounding areas.
The ISPR said that following fierce exchanges of fire over the past 12 hours, 12 terrorists, including two Afghan nationals, were killed in Ali Khel, while two terrorists each were killed in Mir Ali and Datta Khel.
The military described the operations as a significant blow to the terrorist network operating in the region.
However, two Pakistani soldiers embraced martyrdom while fighting the terrorists.
The martyred soldiers were identified as Havildar Asmat Ali, 43, a resident of Swabi district, and Naik Aftab Ali, 32, from Mardan district.
According to the ISPR, both soldiers fought gallantly and made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
Security forces also recovered weapons and ammunition from the killed terrorists, who, according to the military, had been involved in numerous terrorist activities, including the killing of innocent civilians.
The ISPR said sanitisation operations were continuing to eliminate any remaining terrorists hiding in the affected areas.
It reaffirmed that Pakistan’s counterterrorism campaign under the vision of “Azm-e-Istehkam”, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, would continue at full pace.
The military reiterated its determination to eliminate foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country, saying the sacrifices of Pakistani soldiers further strengthened that resolve.
