Five soldiers, including a major, were martyred during an operation in Balochistan’s Barkhan district, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated on Wednesday.
Seven terrorists were also killed in the operation.
The Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps Balochistan jointly conducted the operation in the Nosham area of Barkhan district, targeting members of what the state designates as, Fitna al Hindustan.
Troops located and engaged a group of terrorists during the operation. “During [the] fire exchange, seven terrorists of Indian-backed Fitna al Hindustan were sent to hell,” ISPR stated, adding that weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered from the site.
“However, during intense fire exchange, five brave sons of soil, including a field officer, met the ultimate sacrifice and embraced shahadat (martyrdom),” the military’s media wing added.
The martyred soldiers were identified as Major Tauseef Ahmed Bhatti, 31, from Pakpattan; Naik Fida Hussain, 36, from Sukkur; Sepoy Zakir Hussain, 32, from Skardu; Sepoy Suhail Ahmed, 21, from Khanewal; and Sepoy Muhammad Ayaz, 24, from Rahim Yar Khan.
ISPR stated that operations in the surrounding areas were on-going to eliminate any remaining Indian-sponsored terrorists.
The military’s media wing further stated that the counter-terrorism campaign under the vision of Azm-i-Istehkam as approved by the Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan would continue at full pace to eliminate foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country.
Terrorism in Pakistan has seen a resurgence since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly pressed the Taliban administration to act against terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those tied to the banned TTP, but officials no action has been taken.
