Daily Times

SWABI/ISLAMABAD: Five suspected terrorists were reportedly killed in an intelligence-based operation conducted by the Pakistan Army in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swabi district on Tuesday.

“[The] five terrorists who were killed […] were planning to target educational institutions and judicial complexes,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

The military’s media wing said three of the terrorists had been identified, while the remaining two were “probably Afghans”. At least one of the identified militants was a member of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, according to the ISPR.

Two soldiers of the army also lost their lives in the operation.

“Sacrifice of our shaheeds (martyrs) will not go waste. Terrorist[s] will be brought to their end and held accountable for their fasaad (spreading mischief),” Chief of Army Staff Qamar Jawed Bajwa said in response to the operation.

The two soldiers were part of an army party conducting an intelligence-based operation in Swabi district’s Malikabad area, according to the ISPR.

A day earlier, five soldiers of the Pakistan Army had embraced martyrdom in a terrorist attack on three Pakistani border posts along the Pak-Afghan border area in Mohmand Agency. More than 15 suspected militants were also reportedly killed during the attack.

The army had launched Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad last month following a spate of terror attacks in the country, which claimed more than a hundred lives and left hundreds of others injured.

The operation seeks to eliminate the “residual/latent threat of terrorism”, consolidating the gains made in other military operations and further ensuring the security of Pakistan’s borders.

Hundreds of suspected terrorists have reportedly been either killed or arrested in raids carried out by security personnel since the start of the operation.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed “deepest condolences” over the martyrdom of Captain Junaid and Sepoy Amjad who gave away their lives while fighting terrorists in Swabi district. The PM prayed for eternal peace of the departed souls and extended his heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the martyrs’ families.

The PM deeply applauded the valiant fight by the armed forces’ personnel against terrorists who “are attempting to challenge the writ of the state”. The prime minister paid rich tribute to the brave soldiers who boldly fought the terrorists and embraced martyrdom in the line of duty. Those who embraced martyrdom are the real heroes and saviours of our nation, added the PM.

“Our armed forces are fighting the menace of terrorism to protect our democratic values, constitution, freedom, and our way of life. We cannot and will not allow our enemies to promote their nefarious designs.”