Two soldiers martyred in Lakki Marwat gun battle

RAWALPINDI: Two Pakistan Army soldiers were martyred after security forces engaged terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Lakki Marwat district, killing two militants, the military's media wing said Wednesday.

As per the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), a “fire exchange took place between security forces and terrorists” with the security forces effectively engaging the militants' location.

During the gun battle, two terrorists identified as Aftab aka Malang, and Masood Shah were “sent to hell”, the ISPR said in a statement.

“These terrorists remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against the security forces as well as target killings of innocent civilians,” it added.

The security forces also recovered weapons, ammunition, and explosives following the completion of the task.

However, during the intense exchange of fire, two brave soldiers — Sepoy Muhammad Afzal, 29, resident of district Bhimber, Azad Kashmir, and Sepoy Ibrar Hussain, 27, resident of district Mansehra — embraced martyrdom after fighting gallantly.

In response, a sanitisation operation is being carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the area, the ISPR said.

“…the security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” the military’s media wing added.

Pakistan has witnessed an alarming surge in terror-related incidents since the Taliban-led administration took over Afghanistan in 2021.

The year 2023 saw as many as 586 terror attacks with 17% claimed by banned terror outfits such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Daesh, and others.

Meanwhile, security forces conducted 197 operations against outlaws leaving 537-545 of them dead.

As per the Annual Security Report released by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), the country witnessed 1,524 deaths and 1,463 injuries in the previous year.