Five soldiers martyred in N Waziristan operation

ISPR says four terrorists killed during the clash in Boyya area; terrorist commander Tufail gunned down in Mir Ali IBO

RAWALPINDI:

Five security personnel embraced martyrdom during an intense exchange of fire with terrorists in the North Waziristan district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Monday.

The ISPR, the media wing of the military, said that two separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs) were carried out in the general areas of Boyya and Mir Ali of the district in which five terrorists, including a terrorist commander, were killed.

According to the ISPR, during the IBO in Boyya, intense exchange of fire took place between the troops and terrorists. It added that the troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location and killed four terrorists.

“Weapon and ammunition was also recovered from the killed terrorists,” the ISPR said. “The killed terrorists remained actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces and killing of innocent citizens,” it added.

However, the ISPR continued, during the exchange of fire, Capt Abdul Wali, 26; Naib Subedar Nawaz, 45; Havaldar Ghulam Ali, 34; Lance Naik Ilyas, 33; and Sepoy Zafar Ullah, 29, fought gallantly and embraced Shahadat.

“Sanitisation of the area is being carried out to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area. Pakistan Army is determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers will not go unpunished,” the statement concluded.

In a separate statement, the ISPR said that during the conduct of the IBO in Mir Ali, intense fire exchange took place between the troops and terrorists in which terrorist commander Tufail was killed. It added that weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the dead terrorist.

It said that Tufail was actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces, preparation of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and killing of innocent citizens. It added that Tufail was the mastermind of major terrorist activities in Mir Ali and surrounding areas.