Karachi: Sixteen terrorists were neutralized, and four security personnel, including two soldiers, were killed during multiple gun battles across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Punjab over the weekend, as law enforcement agencies repelled a series of attacks and conducted targeted operations against militants, Dawn reported.
In Bannu district's Baka Khel area, an intelligence-based operation resulted in the killing of five terrorists, while nine others were injured. During the operation, 29-year-old Sepoy Iftikhar Hussain from Jhang embraced martyrdom. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed that the operation was part of ongoing counter-terrorism efforts.
In a separate operation in the Shagai area of Khyber district, three militants were killed, and two others were apprehended.
According to ISPR, 25-year-old Captain Muhammad Zohaibuddin from Lahore, who led his troops courageously during the exchange of fire, made the ultimate sacrifice. "During the intense exchange of fire, Captain Muhammad Zohaibuddin fought bravely, paid the ultimate sacrifice, and embraced shahadat [martyrdom]," the statement read.
Local sources revealed that one of the assailants in the Khyber operation was allegedly involved in the killing of journalist Khalil Jibran earlier this year in June, reported Dawn.
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In Lakki Marwat's Darra Pezu town, a police official embraced martyrdom during a midnight attack on a police station.
Armed terrorists launched a two-pronged assault with automatic weapons, aiming to breach the station. However, the attack was successfully repulsed. "The policemen deployed there effectively engaged the terrorists, and the gun battle continued for nearly one hour," a police official said. Policeman Karamatullah was martyred during the confrontation, and his body was shifted for funeral rites after legal formalities.
In Punjab's Mianwali district, police thwarted a militant assault on Chapri police station. Punjab police stated that 20 militants armed with rocket launchers and grenades launched an hour-long attack.
Despite the intensity of the assault, law enforcement personnel successfully countered it, killing four militants.
The statement added that after the attack was thwarted, the police combed the area and found the bodies of four militants.
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Two police officers sustained injuries during the confrontation, Dawn reported.
In another attack, unidentified gunmen targeted a police van in Paharpur on Sunday night, leading to the martyrdom of Assistant Sub-Inspector Mir Ghulam Marwat. Two constables, Rauf and Yousuf, were injured and later shifted to D.I. Khan for treatment due to the severity of their injuries.
Meanwhile, in the Sherani district of Balochistan, four militants were killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in the Mughal Kot area. Officials reported that the operation, launched on intelligence regarding the presence of armed militants, resulted in the neutralization of terrorists affiliated with a banned outfit. "The bodies of the militants who were killed in the operation were shifted to a nearby health facility," officials added. (with Agency inputs)
