Soldier, captain martyred in exchange of fire with terrorists in Peshawar

RAWALPINDI: The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Sunday stated that an army captain and soldier were martyred, while five terrorists were killed during an exchange of fire in Peshawar district’s Hassan Khel area.

The media wing of the armed forces said the incident happened during an operation launched on the “reported presence of terrorists” in the tehsil.

The ISPR said the troops “effectively engaged” with the terrorists and killed five of them while injuring three others.

“However, during intense exchange of fire, leading his troops from the front, Captain Hussain Jahangir (age: 25 years, resident of Rahim Yar Khan District) along with another brave son of soil, Havildar Shafiq Ullah (age: 36 years, resident of District Karak), having fought gallantly, made the ultimate sacrifice and embraced Shahadat,” it added.

The military’s media wing said that sanitisation operation is being carried out in the area to eliminate any remaining terrorists.

“Security forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” said the ISPR.

At least 92% of all fatalities and 86% of attacks, including those related to terrorism and security forces operations, were recorded in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces in the first quarter of 2024.

These key findings were revealed in the Q1 2024 Security Report issued by Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), detailing that the country witnessed at least 432 violence-linked fatalities and 370 injuries among civilians, security personnel and outlaws resulting from as many as 245 incidents of terror attacks and counter-terror operations.

Among the 432 fatalities, 281 included that of civilians and security forces personnel.