RAWALPINDI: Sixteen Pakistan Army soldiers were martyred in a terrorist attack on a security forces check post in the Makeen area of South Waziristan district of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on the night of December 20-21, the military’s media wing said on Saturday.
“On the night between December 20-21, a group of terrorists attempted to attack security forces check post in general area Makeen in the tribal district,” Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing said in a statement.
“The attempt was effectively thwarted by own troops and in ensuing fire exchange, eight khwarij (terrorists) were sent to hell,” ISPR said.
“However, during intense fire exchange, sixteen brave sons of the soil, having fought gallantly embraced shahadat (martyrdom),” ISPR stated.
The martyred soldiers were identified as Sepoy Ihsanul Haq, 22, a resident of Lower Dir; Sepoy Faiz Muhammad, 22, a resident of Mansehra; Lance Naik Sher Muhammad, 26, a resident of Malakand; Lance Naik Mosawir Shaheen, 29, a resident of Kohat; Lance Naik Liaqat Ali, 30, a resident of Kurram; Lance Naik Muhammad Ishaq, 31, a resident of Karak; Lance Naik Hamid Ali, a resident of Swabi; Havaldar Umer Hayat, 40, a resident of Kohat; Havaldar Tahir Mehmood, 41, a resident of Kohat; Havaldar Muhammad Hayat, 37, a resident of Bannu; Havaldar Ayub Khan, 38, a resident of Attock; Sepoy Tayyab Ali, 23, a resident of Haripur; Sepoy Mehboob Rehman, 26, a resident of Tank; Sepoy Kalim Ullah, 26, a resident of Lakki Marwat; Sepoy Junaid, 26, a resident of Shangla; and Sepoy Junaid Sawati, 25, a resident of Khyber.
The military’s media wing said a sanitisation operation was launched in the area and the perpetrators of the heinous act will be brought to justice.
“Pakistan’s security forces are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave men further strengthen our resolve,” ISPR maintained.
Pakistan has been battling a resurgence of terrorist violence in its western border regions since the Taliban’s 2021 return to power in Afghanistan.
Last year saw casualties hit a six-year high, with more than 1,500 civilians, security forces and terrorists killed, according to the Islamabad-based Centre for Research and Security Studies.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan’s interim Taliban government of failing to root out terrorists staging attacks on Pakistan from over the border.
The Taliban government had pledged to evict foreign terrorist groups from Afghan soil.
However, a UN Security Council report in July estimated up to 6,500 TTP terrorists are based on Afghanistan’s soil.
The report said the Afghan Taliban show “ad hoc support to, and tolerance of, TTP operations, including the supplying of weapons and permission for training”.
