Six soldiers martyred during exchange of fire with terrorists in South Waziristan

RAWALPINDI: At least six soldiers were martyred while fighting terrorists during an intense exchange of fire in South Waziristan’s general area Asman Manza in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the military’s media wing said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location and resultantly four terrorists were sent to hell, while two terrorists were injured.

The ISPR statement added that sanitisation of the area is being carried out to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area.

“Armed forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” it added.

Last week, the military troops had gunned down two terrorists during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in KP’s Khyber district.

The security forces, according to ISPR, conducted the IBO on the reported presence of terrorists in the Bara area of Khyber district on the night of August 18-19.

Pakistan has seen a steep rise in terrorist activities including several suicide bombings and gun attacks mainly targeting police and law enforcement agencies in the northwestern provinces, which resulted in hundreds of deaths and damage to properties since the return of Taliban rulers in neighbouring Afghanistan.