Security forces have killed at least 30 terrorists involved in the martyrdom of Lieutenant Colonel Junaid Tariq, Major Tayyab Rahat, and nine soldiers a day earlier in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Orakzai district.
“Those responsible for the Orakzai attack have been sent to hell,” security sources said on Thursday in a statement, adding that the operation targeted the group’s main formation behind the assault.
According to the sources, the slain terrorists belonged to the outlawed “Fitna al-Khawarij” group, which was involved in attacks on the army and other security personnel. “Security forces remain determined to eradicate terrorism from every part of the country,” the statement added.
Fitna al-Khwarij is the state’s designated term for militants affiliated with the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
A day earlier, during an intelligence-based operation carried out in the Orakzai, 11 army personnel, including Lieutenant Colonel Junaid Tariq and Major Tayyab Rahat, were martyred.
Read More: Lt col, major among 11 military personnel martyred
According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the midnight operation involved intense firefights during which troops killed 19 terrorists belonging to the India-backed Fitna al-Khwarij group.
Lt Col Tariq, 39, and his second-in-command, Major Rahat, also 39, both residents of Rawalpindi, led the operation from the front and embraced martyrdom alongside nine other soldiers.
The fallen soldiers were identified as Naib Subedar Azam Gul (38, Khyber), Naik Adil Hussain (35, Kurram), Naik Gul Ameer (34, Tank), Lance Naik Sher Khan (31, Mardan), Lance Naik Talish Faraz (32, Mansehra), Lance Naik Irshad Hussain (32, Kurram), Sepoy Tufail Khan (28, Malakand), Sepoy Aqib Ali (23, Swabi), and Sepoy Muhammad Zahid (24, Tank).
According to the ISPR, the funeral prayers of the martyred soldiers were offered at Chaklala Garrison. They will be laid to rest in their native towns with full military honours. The funeral was attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, federal ministers, senior military and civil officials, and members of the public.
Paying tribute to the fallen soldiers, PM Shehbaz said the nation stood united against terrorism. “The Pakistani nation remains resolute and firm against this menace of terrorism, and the Shuhada’s ultimate sacrifice is a reminder of our unwavering resolve to defend the motherland at all costs,” he said.
