Two soldiers were martyred as a result of an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in North Waziristan, the Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement on Tuesday. The ISPR, in the statement, said the incident took place when security forces were conducting an area clearance operation in North Waziristan’s Dosalli area. The martyred soldiers are: Sepoy Zia Akram, 25, resident of Muzaffarabad, and Sepoy Musawwar Khan, 20, resident of Bajur. The Pakistan Army troops, following the incident, immediately cordoned off the area to apprehend the terrorists involved in planting the IED, the military’s media wing said. During the intense exchange of fire, one of the terrorists, who was trying to flee, got killed, the ISPR said, adding that the clearance operation was in progress to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib condemned the improvised explosive device (IED) blast in North Waziristan. In a news release, he said such coward acts could not undermine Pakistan’s resolve against terrorism. The minister said Pakistan’s armed forces are determined to root out terrorism in the country. He prayed for the departed soul of Pak Army soldiers who martyred during the incident and expressed sympathy to the bereaved families. A terrorist was killed in a timely response by the security forces, he added. There has been an uptick in attacks on security forces in recent months. Last week, four Frontier Corps officials were martyred and 18 others injured in a suicide attack near a checkpost on Quetta’s Mastung Road. In August, three Levies personnel were martyred and as many injured when their vehicle hit a landmine in Balochistan’s Ziarat district. Earlier that week, a Pakistan Army captain was martyred and two soldiers injured when their vehicle hit an IED planted by terrorists in the province’s Gichik area.