6 Army men martyred in NWA cross border attack

PESHAWAR: At least six troopers were martyred, including junior commissioned officer, and another injured in a terrorist attack on them in the remote mountainous Shawal Valley of North Waziristan tribal region, near the Afghan border, on Sunday.

Security officials in Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan, told The News that members of the bomb disposal squad were clearing a road near the Afghan border for the security forces when a group of terrorists from Afghanistan's Paktika province ambushed them.

"Six soldiers of the Army were martyred while another was injured in this sad incident,” said a security official on condition of anonymity.

He said the slain security personnel included a junior commissioned officer (JCO) and an Havaldar.

“It was around 7:30 on Sunday morning when this unfortunate incident took place,” said the security officer.

Some reports suggested that the troops had retaliated and caused some losses to the terrorists. There was however no information about the losses inflicted on the terrorists.

Those killed in the terrorist attack were identified as Naib Subedar Zafar, resident of Khanewal, Punjab, Havaldar Arif, Shakardara, Kohat, Sepoy Asif, Jehlum, Sepoy Karim, Sialkot, Sepoy Faisal, Attock, and Sepoy Ghulam Murtaza of Shikarpur.

No militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

A splinter group of the Mehsud militants that calls itself Sheheryaar Mehsud group, had earlier claimed a terrorist attack on Pakistani security forces in Bangedar area of North Waziristan.