In a gunfight with militants in Lakki Marwat, KP, two soldiers lost their lives

The media affairs wing of the Pakistan Army reported that two troops were killed in a gunfight with terrorists in the Lakki Marwat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday.

Two terrorists were “sent to hell” during the firefight, according to a news release from Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), as “own troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location.”

Aftab alias Malang and Masood Shah were recognized as the terrorists who were killed.

These terrorists continued to carry out targeted assassinations of defenseless citizens in addition to a plethora of terrorist attacks against law enforcement. They also had explosives, weapons, and ammo confiscated from them, according to the ISPR.

It was also reported that two troops, named as Sepoy Ibrar Hussain, 27, of Mansehra, and Sepoy Muhammad Afzal, 29, of Bhimber, Azad Kashmir, accepted martyrdom amid the fierce gunfight.

“As 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 statement concluded, “Sanitization operation is being carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the area.”

In a separate incident, authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kohat district reported that a late-night attack on a police checkpoint close to the Lachi Toll Plaza on the Indus Highway resulted in the martyrdom of three cops and the death of a citizen.

Lachi Police Public Relations Officer (PRO) Fazl Naeem issued a statement stating that Lance Naik Constables Amjad, Junaid, and Waqar were among the three cops who lost their lives in battle.

Naeem also mentioned the death of Noor Muhammad, a resident of Lakki Marwat. Farhan Khan, an officer with the Kohat District Police, also verified the death toll.

After getting an alarm, a sizable police detachment arrived at the scene, according to PRO Naeem. According to him, the area has been blocked off and a search is underway to find the miscreants.

The incident occurred barely two days after police officers in KP’s Mamond tehsil were attacked while riding in a vehicle while on patrol. The event claimed the lives of seven police officers.

The same day, there was a gunfight in North Waziristan between security forces and militants that resulted in the death of a soldier and the arrest of an injured militant.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari denounced the attack in the meantime. He sent his sympathies to the families of the deceased and expressed his sorrow over the lives lost in the disaster in a statement.

“The nation’s enemies are terrorists,” he continued. According to Bilawal, the sacrifices made by law enforcement, the army, and security personnel would not be in vain.

چیئرمین پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی بلاول بھٹو زرداری کی کوہاٹ میں دہشتگردوں کے ٹول پلازا اور چیک پوسٹ پر حملے کی مذمت

بلاول بھٹو زرداری کا پولیس اہلکاروں سمیت چار افراد کی شہادت پر اظہار افسوس

دہشت گرد وطن دشمن ہیں ناقابل معافی ہیں، بلاول بھٹو زرداری

فوج، سیکیورٹی فورسز اور…

— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) January 10, 2024

Asif Ali Zardari, the former president, too denounced the assault and expressed sorrow over the fatalities. He declared that the National Action Plan should be carried out in order to remove terrorism entirely.

The attackers “must be arrested as soon as possible and given exemplary punishment,” according to PPP’s Sherry Rehman.

“Our condolences and prayers are with the families of the deceased,” she stated.

Terrorist activity in Pakistan has increased during the previous year, particularly in KP and Balochistan after the government and the outlawed militant group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan terminated their ceasefire in November 2022.

The Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) released an annual security report in 2023 that stated that Pakistan had a record six-year high of 1,524 violence-related deaths and 1,463 injuries from 789 terror acts and counter-terror operations.

The provinces of KP and Balochistan were the main hotspots for violence, being responsible for almost 90% of total deaths and 84% of attacks, including acts of terrorism and security force operations.