Lieutenant Colonel Junaid Arif, Major Tayyab Rahat and nine other military personel were martyred in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) carried out in Orakzai District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa late Tuesday night.
The IBO, conducted around midnight, involved intense firefights with terrorists belonging to the India-backed Fitna al-Khwarij group. Troops successfully neutralized the militants’ positions, killing 19 terrorists, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
Fitna al-Khwarij is the state's designated term for militants affiliated with the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Lt Col Arif, 39, and his second-in-command Major Rahat, 39, both residents of Rawalpindi, had led the operation from the front and embraced martyrdom alongside nine other soldiers.
Read: Seven India-sponsored terrorists killed in Balochistan's Sherani District: ISPR
The fallen soldiers include Naib Subedar Azam Gul (38, Khyber), Naik Adil Hussain (35, Kurram), Naik Gul Ameer (34, Tank), Lance Naik Sher Khan (31, Mardan), Lance Naik Talish Faraz (32, Manshera), Lance Naik Irshad Hussain (32, Kurram), Sepoy Tufail Khan (28, Malakand), Sepoy Aqib Ali (23, Swabi), and Sepoy Muhammad Zahid (24, Tank).
ISPR said sanitization operations are ongoing to eliminate any remaining militants in the area. “The sacrifices of our brave soldiers strengthen our resolve to eliminate Indian-sponsored terrorism from Pakistan,” it stated.
Read more: Ban on Fitna Al-Khawarij discussion disrupts National Assembly
This operation is part of a series of recent counter-terror successes. On October 1, seven Fitna al Khwarij terrorists were killed during an IBO in Balochistan's Sherani district. Earlier, on September 27, 17 militants were neutralized in Lakki Marwat, while four Fitna al Hindustan terrorists were killed in Mastung. Weapons, ammunition, and explosives were recovered during these operations.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lauded the troops’ valor and issued a stern warning to Afghanistan against allowing its soil to be used for militancy. “Masterminds of attacks in Pakistan are operating from Afghan soil with Indian backing. A befitting response will follow,” he said.
The ISPR emphasized that Pakistan’s armed forces remain determined to eradicate Indian-backed terrorism from the country.
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