Two Pakistani officers among 7 soldiers killed in terrorist attack

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
16 Mar 2024 17:01

The dead include 39-year-old Lt. Col. Syed Kashif Ali and 23-year-old Capt. Muhammad Ahmed Badar, who died after an "intense exchange of fire."

Photos of Lieutenant Colonel Syed Kashif Ali (left) Captain Muhammad Ahmed Badar. ( ISPR)

Inter-Services Public Relations Pakistan has reported that a minimum of 7 Pakistani soldiers were killed Saturday in a terror attack in the North Waziristan District of the country's northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bordering Afghanistan.

Two officers were among those killed and according to the department, six terrorists in the early hours of Saturday attacked a security post.

As the troops intercepted the attack, terrorists then "rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the post, followed by multiple suicide bombing attacks, which led to the collapse of a portion of a building, resulting into Shahadat [death] of five brave sons of the soil."

The dead include 39-year-old Lt. Col. Syed Kashif Ali and 23-year-old Capt. Muhammad Ahmed Badar, who died after an "intense exchange of fire" the statement said.

"During the conduct of ensuing clearance operation, own troops led by Lieutenant Colonel Kashif, effectively engaged and sent to hell all six terrorists," the statement added.

According to the statement, a clearance operation is ongoing to destroy any remaining terrorists in the region.

"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 said.

Last month, several militants launched an assault on a police station in northern Pakistan, resulting in the death of at least 10 officers, as confirmed by a high-ranking commander.

The incident occurred shortly before Pakistan prepared to hold a general election amid a string of numerous attacks targeting candidates and party supporters.

Attacks kill nearly 1,000 people in Pakistan in 2023

In 2023, a series of militant attacks in Pakistan resulted in the death of approximately 500 civilians and a comparable number of security forces, marking the highest toll in six years, as per a recent report released last December.

The majority of terrorist attacks and casualties in 2023 were concentrated in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Baluchistan provinces, which share borders with Afghanistan, according to a report from the independent Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) based in Islamabad.

The report highlighted that 2023 marked the deadliest year in a decade for Pakistani police and military forces, with over 500 personnel collectively lost in terrorist bombings and ambushes.