DI KHAN: In an extremely distressing incident, at least 23 soldiers of Pakistan Army embraced martyrdom while 17 terrorists killed in three separate incidents in Dera Ismail Khan, the military’s media affairs wing said yesterday.

According to ISPR statement, a group of six terrorists attacked security forces’ post in Dera Ismail Khan’s Daraban area in the early hours’ yesterday.

The military’s media wing said that the attempt to enter the post was effectively thwarted which forced the terrorists to ram an explosive-laden vehicle into the post, followed by a suicide bombing attack.

“The resulting blasts led to the collapse of the building, causing multiple causalities; 23 brave soldiers embraced shahadat (martyrdom), while all six terrorists were effectively engaged and sent to hell,” the ISPR stated.

The ISPR said heightened activities in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s district were witnessed on the night of December 11 and 12, wherein a total of 27 terrorists were sent to hell during various operations.

“An intelligence-based operation was conducted in general area Darazinda on reported presence of terrorists. During the conduct of operation, terrorists’ hideout was busted and seventeen terrorists were sent to hell,” it said in a statement.

The statement added that the troops effectively engaged terrorists’ location as a result of which four terrorists “were sent to hell” in another intelligence-based operation in general area Kulachi of the district.

“However, after intense exchange of fire, two brave sons of soil, having fought gallantly, embraced shahadat,” it added. The killed terrorists, ISPR stated, were actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces as well as killing of innocent civilians.

“Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered during the operations.” Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists present in the area, as security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthens our resolve, the military’s media wing said.

It further stated that two soldiers embraced martyrdom while four more terrorists were neutralised in another intelligence-based operation in the Kulachi area. “?The killed terrorists were actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces as well as killing of innocent civilians. Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered during the operations,” it added.

This is the military’s highest single-day death toll from terrorist attacks reported this year. Before this, 12 soldiers were martyred in separate military operations in the Zhob and Sui areas of Balochistan in July.

The outgoing year witnessed an alarming rise in terror-related incidents in the country in general and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in particular as at least 470 security personnel and civilians were killed in the province, so for.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office said that the foreign secretary had called in the Afghan charge d’affaires to deliver “Pakistan’s strong demarche in the context of today’s deadly terrorist attack” in DI Khan. “The attack, whose responsibility has been claimed by the TJP, a terrorist group affiliated with the TTP, resulted in multiple causalities, including the martyrdom of 23 security personnel,” the FO said.

Published in The Daily National Courier, December, 13 2023

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