Captain among seven soldiers martyred in NW clash

MIRANSHAH: As many as seven soldiers, including an army captain, were martyred while three others sustained injuries in a clash with militants in Sarodana village of Dattakhel tehsil in North Waziristan tribal district on Saturday.

According to security officials, the clash took place during a search operation near the border with Afghanistan. They said the security forces were undertaking a search operation when the terrorists opened fire on them and that led to heavy exchange of fire. The security officials said 10 terrorists were also killed in the exchange of fire and their hideouts were dismantled. They said that seven security personnel embraced martyrdom while three others suffered bullet injuries. The injured soldiers were shifted to the Combined Military Hospital in Miranshah. The martyred soldiers were identified as Captain Junaid, Havaldars Asif, Raziq, Ameer Wali and Nasir, and Sepoy Anwar Jan and Sepoy Samiullah. The injured soldiers included Subedar Khursheed, Naib Subedar Arshad and Sepoy Quddus.

Following the military operation “Zarb-e-Azb” launched in North Waziristan against the local and foreign militants in June 2014, peace has largely been restored to the militancy-torn tribal district, but Dattakhel subdivision is still stated to be insecure. Most of the attacks against the security forces have taken place in Dattakhel, though occasional attacks also happened in Razmak and Spinwam. A number of targeted killings of civilians have also been reported from North Waziristan.