Beginning of the end: Two army men, 6 terrorists killed in Shawal gunfight

Army chief vows to pursue terrorists to the remote corners of North Waziristan

ISLAMABAD:

A senior officer and a soldier of Pakistan Army were killed in a gunfight with terrorists in a thickly-forested strategic valley near the border with Afghanistan where hardcore militants have regrouped after fleeing a major military offensive in North Waziristan Agency.

Six terrorists were also killed in the firefight that took place in Shawal Valley where the military last week launched the much-awaited ground offensive following weeks of air raids against the bases of suspected militants. Nearly 100 suspected terrorists had been killed in the aerial strikes.

“During an exchange of fire with security forces, six terrorists were killed in Shawal today. An officer, Lieutenant Colonel Faisal Malik, and a soldier also embraced shahadat (martyrdom),” the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement. This was the first casualty the army has suffered since it initiated the ground offensive in Shawal.

The densely forested ravines of Shawal and Datta Khel are popular smuggling routes between Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan, and are infested with hideouts of militants used as launch pads for attacks on Pakistani forces.



Homegrown Taliban militants and their foreign cohorts used to control North Waziristan Agency, including Shawal Valley and Datta Khel, and runs along the Afghan border. But Pakistan Army wrenched back the control of most of the region in a major offensive, codenamed Zarb-e-Azb, launched in mid-June, last year.

Since May, the military has stepped up operations in Shawal, where Taliban militants are still holed up. With the launch of ground offensive in Shawal, Operation Zarb-e-Azb has entered the final stage.

The deadly gunfight came a day after Afghanistan-based militants launched a cross-border rocket attack on a check post in Khyber Agency, killing four Pakistani soldiers and wounding as many others. Subsequently, the Foreign Office summoned Afghan Ambassador Janan Mosazai and lodged a strong protest over the shelling.

In a meeting with Air Chief Air Marshal Sohail Aman on Monday at the GHQ in Rawalpindi, army chief General Raheel Sharif vowed to eliminate terrorists even from the remotest pockets in North Waziristan at all costs.

According to the ISPR, the army and air chiefs discussed progress on ongoing operation in Shawal Valley. Air Marshal Aman assured full support to the army in the ongoing offensive against terrorists.

Meanwhile, Lt Gen James Rupert Everard, Commander UK Land Forces, visited the GHQ and called on army chief General Raheel Sharif. “Matters of mutual interest including bilateral training exchanges and sharing the experiences were discussed,” the ISPR said in a statement.

The British general appreciated Pakistan’s efforts for countering terrorism.

In a meeting with General Raheel Sharif, Commander UK Land Forces Lt Gen James Rupert Everard appreciated Pakistan’s efforts for countering terrorism.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th, 2015.