RAWALPINDI: Security forces have killed 16 terroirsts belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij during intelligence-based operations in North Waziristan, while two Pakistan Army soldiers embraced martyrdom in intense exchanges of fire, the military’s media wing said.
The latest operations bring the total number of Khawarij militants killed across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the past 72 hours to 59.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces targeted multiple hideouts of the militants in Mir Ali, Datta Khel and surrounding areas of the district.
The operations continued over the past 12 hours, during which troops killed 12 Khawarij militants in the Ali Khel area. The dead included two Afghan nationals associated with the Indian-backed Fitna al-Khawarij, the ISPR said.
Security forces also eliminated two militants each in Mir Ali and Datta Khel, taking the total number of militants killed to 16.
However, two Pakistan Army soldiers lost their lives during the intense firefights.
The ISPR identified the martyrs as 43-year-old Havildar Ismat Ali, a resident of Swabi, and 32-year-old Naik Aftab Ali, who belonged to Mardan.
Both soldiers fought bravely and sacrificed their lives in defence of the country, the military’s media wing said.
Security forces also recovered weapons and ammunition from the slain militants. The ISPR said the killed terrorists had been involved in numerous terrorist activities, including the killing of innocent civilians.
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The military’s media wing reaffirmed that counterterrorism operations by security forces and law enforcement agencies would continue at full pace under the national policy Azm-e-Istehkam, approved by the Federal Apex Committee under the National Action Plan.
The campaign aims to eliminate foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country, the ISPR added.
