Army officers, 5 soldiers martyred in Waziristan terror attack

A lieutenant colonel and a captain were among seven soldiers martyred in a terrorist attack in North Waziristan's Mir Ali, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated on Saturday. At least six terrorists were also killed in the attack.

As per the ISPR, troops foiled the initial attempt of intrusion into the army installation in the wee hours of the day however, a group of six terrorists rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into it, later carrying out multiple suicide bombings.

The attacks led to the collapse of a portion of a building, resulting in the martyrdom of five brave soldiers.

The martyred soldiers included Havildar Sabir, a resident of district Khyber; Naik Khurshid, a resident of district Lakki Marwat; Sepoy Nasir, a resident of Peshawar; Sepoy Raja, a resident of Kohat; and Sepoy Sajjad, a resident of Abbottabad.

During the ensuing clearance operation, the Pakistan army troops led by Lieutenant Colonel Syed Kashif Ali, engaged and gunned down all the six terrorists. However, 39-year-old Lt Col Ali, a resident of Karachi, and 23-year-old Captain Muhammad Ahmed Badar, a resident of Talagang, embraced martyrdom.

The ISPR reported that the troops were engaged in a "sanitization operation" to eliminate any other terrorists present in the area.

The "security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve," the authority noted in its statement.

The funeral prayers of the martyrs took place in Bannu Cantt later in the evening.
According to the ISPR, the martyrs will receive full military honours during their burial in their respective native towns.

A significant presence of military and civil officials, including Major General Anjum Riaz, the General Officer Commanding, attended the funeral.

"The Pakistan Army remains committed to sacrificing its lives until the last drop of blood in defence of our beloved motherland," the military's media wing stated.

In an attack in early February, at least 10 policemen including members of an elite force were martyred in a brazen attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (K-P) restive Dera Ismail Khan district.

According to officials, dozens of terrorists attacked the Chaudhwan police station located in the district’s Daraban tehsil first with sniper guns. The attack started at 3 am, as reported by Reuters.

Read SP martyred, top TTP commanders killed in Mardan IBO

"More than 30 terrorists launched the attack from three directions," K-P provincial police chief Akhtar Hayat Gandapur told AFP. "There was an exchange of fire for over two-and-a-half hours."

The attackers later entered the building, firing with automatic weapons and lobbing hand grenades, resulting in the deaths of ten policemen and injuries to at least six others. The Chaudhwan police station’s station house officer (SHO), however, remained unharmed.

Daraban Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Malik Aneesul Hassan told Reuters that most of the police casualties occurred due to grenade blasts.

'TTP set-up new base in K-P'

On February 1, the UN revealed in its report that the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) established a new base in K-P in mid-2023. The report shed light on close ties between not only the TTP and the Afghan Taliban but also anti-Pakistani groups and al Qaeda.

The 33rd report compiled by the UN Monitoring Team was submitted to the UN Security Council in the last week of January providing details about the presence of terrorist organisations in Afghanistan and their linkage with the Kabul regime.

“A new TTP base was established in mid-2023 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, where 66 TTP individuals trained as suicide bombers,” the 23-page report read.

It was important to highlight that the new base was established merely months after Pakistan allowed hundreds of TTP terrorists to return as part of the confidence-building measure.

It was evident that the returning TTP terrorists instead of laying down arms regrouped and posed a greater threat to Pakistan’s security.

The increased TTP attacks prompted authorities to withdraw from the peace efforts brokered by the Afghan Taliban.

“[The] TTP was further strengthened and emboldened, increasing attacks with a broader degree of autonomy to manoeuvre,” the UN report said.566 terrorists killed in 2023

At least 566 terrorists were neutralized during 18,736 intelligence-based operations (IBO) executed by security forces across the country in 2023.

The IBOs also resulted in the arrest of 5,161 terrorists. The evidence of recent terrorist incidents was traced back to sanctuaries in Afghanistan. In K-P, 1,942 intelligence-based operations were conducted, leading to the elimination of 447 terrorists.

The war against terrorism has not been without its toll. Over 1,000 individuals, including more than 260 officers and soldiers of the Pakistan Army, sacrificed their lives for the motherland in the face of terror attacks.