Photo courtesy ISPR
Terrorists martyred a Pakistan Army soldier during a gunbattle in the Sararogha area of South Waziristan, the military’s media wing announced on Tuesday.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the exchange of fire between soldiers and militants occurred after the military “effectively engaged the terrorists’ location.” During the gunbattle, read the statement, 26-year-old Sepoy Ahmed Ali, a resident of Charsadda, embraced martyrdom after having “fought gallantly.”
The ISPR said troops had initiated a sanitization operation to eliminate any terrorists remaining in the area, as “security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism.” It added that “such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve.”
While the military’s media wing did not identify the group responsible for the militancy, there has been a marked resurgence in terrorism across Pakistan, particularly Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August 2021, bolstering banned groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Authorities have vowed to continue resisting any such groups, warning that they must either submit to the writ of the state or risk eradication.
According to the independent Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), the country saw a 34 percent increase in terrorist acts in November, with 63 attacks causing 83 fatalities, including 37 security forces personnel and 33 civilians. It said 89 individuals—53 civilians and 36 security personnel—were injured in the attacks.
The PICSS data states that security forces killed at least 59 militants in November, while also detaining 18 suspected militants. It noted that in the past 11 months of 2023, the country had recorded 599 militant attacks, causing 897 fatalities and 1,241 injuries, an 81 percent increase in militancy compared to the corresponding period in 2022.