Three soldiers martyred in exchange of fire with terrorists in Kurram

Security forces killed two militants and recovered weapons and ammunition from them, says ISPR

At least three soldiers of the Pakistan Army embraced martyrdom on Thursday during an exchange of fire with terrorists in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Kurram district, the military said in a statement.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistani troops fought bravely and effectively engaged the terrorists' location in the Arawali area of the district.

During an intense exchange of fire, it said two terrorists were killed and their weapons and ammunition were also recovered. The killed terrorists remained actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces, the ISPR added.

The military’s media wing stated that 43-year-old resident of Khairpur Subedar Shuja Muhammad, 32-year-old resident of Khuzdar Naik Muhammad Ramzan and 30-year-old resident of Sukkur Sepoy Abdul Rehman embraced martyrdom during the exchange of fire.

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It said that a sanitisation of the area is being carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the area. "Pakistan Army is determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve," ISPR further said.

The incident came amid a spike in terrorist attacks across the country claimed mostly by the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) which unilaterally scrapped a ceasefire in November effectively ending a start-stop negotiation process brokered by the Afghan Taliban.

The TTP, which was comprehensively defeated in a decisive kinetic operation by the military, has found safe havens across the border in Afghanistan from where the group has been directing its terrorist operations in Pakistan.

Islamabad has called these TTP sanctuaries “red-line” and pressed Kabul’s new rulers to take action against them. Experts believe Pakistan’s patience is running thin due to Kabul’s reluctance to crack down on the TTP bases as Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said during his recent US visit that “all options are on the table” to deal with a resurgent TTP.

Unofficial data show a 51% increase in terrorist violence between August 15, 2021, and August 14, 2022 – almost a year since the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul. At least 433 people were killed and 719 injured in 250 attacks across Pakistan during this period.

A day earlier, the country’s top military commanders vowed to “fight against terrorists without any distinction”. The reiteration of the resolve was made in a huddle of the corps commanders at the GHQ which was presided over by army chief General Syed Asim Munir.

“A comprehensive review of professional and organisational matters of the army was undertaken. It was resolved to fight against terrorists without any distinction and eliminate this menace as per the aspirations of people of the Pakistan,” an ISPR statement had said.