A Pakistan Army soldier embraced martyrdom while six terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan district’s Mir Ali general area, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Saturday. In a statement, the military’s media affairs wing said the security forces conducted the IBO on the reported presence of terrorists. During the exchange of fire, eight terrorists also sustained injuries, the ISPR added. Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from killed terrorists, the ISPR said, adding that they remained actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces and target killing of innocent civilians. However, during the intense exchange of fire, Sepoy Abdul Hakeem, 33, having fought gallantly, embraced martyrdom, read the statement. The ISPR further said that sanitisation of the area is being carried out to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area. For the past year now, Pakistan has been gripped by a spate of terror attacks, with Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa particularly being under the radar of militants targeting security forces and civilians to deteriorate peace. Last month, two separate suicide bombings near mosques in Balochistan’s Mastung and KP’s Hangu left several people dead and many others injured, while 59 were killed in a suicide bombing in Balochistan’s Mastung. After the terror incidents, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir said the forces of evil would continue to face the full might of the state. “… terrorists and their facilitators, having no link with religion and ideology, are proxies of the enemies of Pakistan and its people. These forces of evil will continue to face the full might of the state and security forces backed by a resilient nation,” the army chief had said.