By ISPR
ISLAMABAD: Security forces killed five suspected militants described as belonging to the India-backed “Fitna al-Khwarij” during an intelligence-based operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, while two soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, were killed when their convoy was targeted, the Inter-Services Public Relations said on Saturday.
The military’s media wing said the operation was launched after reports of the presence of militants, including a suicide bomber. According to the statement, a vehicle-borne suicide bomber was intercepted by the leading group, thwarting what it described as a plan to target civilians or law enforcement personnel in Bannu city and preventing a major attack.
Security forces located the militants and, after an intense exchange of fire, killed five of them. The statement said the attackers then rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into one of the convoy’s vehicles. “As a result, Lt Colonel Shahzada Gul Faraz (43), a resident of district Mansehra and a brave commanding officer known for his daring leadership at the front, embraced shahadat along with Sepoy Karamat Shah (28), a resident of district Peshawar,” the ISPR said.
The military also accused the Afghan Taliban authorities of failing to prevent militants from using Afghan soil to carry out attacks inside Pakistan, even during the holy month of Ramadan. “Pakistan will not exercise any restraint, and operations will continue against the perpetrators of this heinous and cowardly act, irrespective of their location,” the statement added.
