Operation against militants: Two soldiers killed in IED blast

Two soldiers were killed when an improvised explosives device (IED) detonated near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on Thursday, the ISPR said. According to initial details, two soldiers were killed in an IED blast in the Ghulam Khan area of North Waziristan, near the Pak-Afghan border. Pakistan army launched a ground offensive against militants in the North Waziristan tribal region last month. On Wednesday, jet planes pummeled militants’ hideouts in the Shawal tehsil of North Waziristan, killing 20 terrorists. According to ISPR, a number of foreign terrorists were among those killed. Four militant hideouts were also destroyed in the airstrikes. Meanwhile, an ammunition factory was seized during action in Mir Ali. Huge cache of arms and ammunition and foreign currency were also seized. The military’s media wing added that the operation to cleanse Miramshah of mines and explosive material is under way. So far six IED factories in the area have been cleared by security forces.


Published in The Express Tribune, July 25^th, 2014.