File photo. Abdul Majeed—AFP
One soldier and two civilians were martyred on Monday after terrorists opened fire on vehicles of a private company involved in development projects in the Darazinda area of Dera Ismail Khan district, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The military’s media wing said the martyred civilians—Muhammad Faisal, 35, and Asif Kamran, 29, were residents of Karak and employees of the company—while the soldier has been identified as Sepoy Syed Muhammad Shaheen Shah, 33, resident of Hangu. It said Shah was deployed to ensure security of the project, adding he had fought gallantly before embracing shahadat.
The ISPR said a sanitization operation was underway to eliminate any remaining terrorists in the area. It said security forces of Pakistan were determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and would continue to support the economic progress of the area.
Also on Monday, the ISPR announced that security forces had conducted an intelligence-based operation in the Bara area of Khyber district. As a result, it said, one terrorist—identified as Qudrat Shah alias Abubakar—was “sent to hell.” The military’s media wing said a weapon and ammunition were also recovered from the terrorist, alleging he had been actively involved in numerous terrorists acts.
There has been a marked resurgence of terrorism across Pakistan, but particularly in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, since the return to power of the Afghan Taliban in Kabul. Over the past year, Pakistan has ramped up efforts to curtail the terror threat, launching operations and vowing to eradicate any militants who seek to damage the state.
According to the Center for Research and Security Studies, security forces lost at least 386 personnel in the first nine months of 2023, marking an eight-year high.