A soldier was martyred during a counter-insurgency operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district on Monday, in which seven terrorists were killed, the military’s media wing said in a statement.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), an intelligence-based operation (IBO) was carried out in DI Khan’s Kulachi area on the reported presence of terrorists belonging to the Indian proxy Fitna al Khawarij.
Fitna-al-Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
“During the conduct of [the] operation, own troops effectively engaged the khwarij location and after an intense fire exchange, seven khwarij were sent to hell,” the statement read.
During the battle, Naik Yasir Khan, 34, a resident of Mardan, embraced martyrdom after “having fought gallantly [and] paid the ultimate sacrifice”, the ISPR said.
The statement added that weapons and ammunition were seized from the dead terrorists, who were involved in terrorist activity in the area.
“[A] sanitisation operation is being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored kharji found in the area, as the relentless Counter Terrorism campaign under vision ‘Azm-i-Istehkam’ (as approved by the Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,” the statement concluded.
Separately, a policeman and a civilian were martyred when terrorists attacked and looted a bank in Balochistan’s Panjgur area, according to police officials.
According to police sources, a clash erupted when terrorists attempted to raid a private bank in Panjgur city and police responded, triggering a gun battle.
Dara Khan, a constable with the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), was martyred, while another civilian was killed. A source added that two policemen were also injured in the gun battle, while the suspects fled the scene.
AFP, citing a police official, reported that Rs 1 million had been stolen. Panjgur SSP (Senior Superintendent of Police) Dost Muhammad Bugti told the media that the suspects arrived in four vehicles and that two bank raids were foiled after police responded.
“If police had not responded, then all five banks in the city would have been robbed,” he said.
Balochistan CM Mir Sarfraz Bugti issued a statement praising the response by the police and CTD, lauding them for ensuring the “safety of the lives and property of the people with extraordinary bravery and professionalism”. “I salute the courage, sense of duty and great sacrifice of martyred CTD constable Dara Khan during the operation,” CM Bugti was quoted as saying. “The sacrifices of brave sons like shaheed (martyred) Dara Khan will never be forgotten. The nation is indebted to the blood of these great martyrs.”
The Balochistan CM added that there is no place for criminals or terrorists in the province and vowed that the state would forcefully pursue anti-national elements. “The sacrifices of the security forces for the establishment of law and order will never go in vain,” CM Bugti vowed.