Security forces raided a hideout in a former Taliban stronghold bordering Afghanistan on Wednesday, triggering a shootout that killed seven terrorists, the military said. An officer and three soldiers of Pakistan Army were also martyred.
“As soon as troops cordoned the area, terrorists opened fire to flee from the hideout. Seven terrorists were killed during the operation,” a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. An officer and three soldiers of Pakistan Army were also martyred during the intelligence-based operation (IBO) near Datta Khel in North Waziristan District, it said. “In intense exchange of fire, four security forces personnel embraced shahadat [martyrdom] including an officer, while one soldier got injured. A large cache of arms, ammunition & IEDs recovered from hideout during clearance,” it added.
According to the ISPR, security forces personnel who embraced martyrdom are: Lieutenant Agha Muqadas Ali Khan, 26, resident of Lahore; Lance Havaldar Qamar Nadeem, 36, resident of Layyah; Sepoy Muhammad Qasim, 24, resident of Layyah, Sepoy Tauseef, 23, resident of Narowal.
The military provided no further details but police and intelligence officials said the suspects belonged to a Pakistani militant group and were planning to carry out attacks. A day earlier, an army soldier was martyred after Indian forces resorted to unprovoked fire in the Shahkot sector along the Line of Control (LoC). “Indian Army troops resorted to unprovoked fire in Shahkot sector along LOC with heavy weapons,” according to ISPR. “During the exchange of fire, one brave soldier Sepoy Wajid Ali, age 20 years, resident of District Dadu, valiantly responding to Indian ceasefire violation (CFV) embraced shahadat.” news desk North Waziristan served as the Taliban’s headquarters until 2017 after security forces in a series of operations dismantled their network and killed, arrested or evicted scores of them. Also targeted were al-Qaida members and those sheltering them.
