The Pakistan Army has “neutralized” 11 terrorists linked to the recent attack that killed seven security personnel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat, the military’s media wing reported on Tuesday.
The deadly incident occurred on Sunday when an improvised explosive device (IED) targeted a vehicle carrying security officials. The vehicle was en route to the Kaichi Kamar area when it was ambushed near Sultankhel village, close to Punjab’s Mianwali district.
The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed that 26-year-old Captain Muhammad Faraz Ilyas from Kasur, 50-year-old Subedar Major Muhammad Nazir from Skardu, 34-year-old Lance Naik Muhammad Anwar from Ghanchi, 36-year-old Lance Naik Hussain Ali from Ghizer, 33-year-old Sepoy Asadullah from Multan, 27-year-old Sepoy Manzoor Hussain from Gilgit, and 31-year-old Sepoy Rashid Mehmood from Rawalpindi were martyred in the attack.
Following this tragedy, the security forces launched an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Lakki Marwat on the night of June 10-11 to apprehend the perpetrators. “During the operation, our troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, resulting in the elimination of 11 terrorists and the destruction of multiple hideouts,” stated the ISPR.
A sanitization operation is ongoing to ensure no remaining terrorists are in the area. The ISPR reiterated the security forces’ commitment to eradicating terrorism from the country.
Pakistan has seen a rise in terrorist activities, particularly in KP and Balochistan, following the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’s end to its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. An annual report by the Centre for Research and Security Studies noted 1,524 violence-related fatalities and 1,463 injuries from 789 terror attacks and counter-terror operations in 2023, marking a six-year high.
KP and Balochistan have been the primary hotspots, accounting for over 90% of all fatalities and 84% of attacks, including terrorism incidents and security forces operations. Last month, an army officer was martyred and three terrorists were killed in an IBO in Balochistan’s Zhob district. Additionally, on May 27, security forces killed 17 terrorists and injured two in separate operations in KP.
June 12, 2024
Source: Dawn