A lieutenant colonel and a sepoy were martyred in a suicide attack during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Saturday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
In a press release, the ISPR said a security forces’ convoy was “targeted by Indian proxy Fitna al Khwarij” while an IBO was being conducted on the reported presence of terrorists, including a suicide bomber.
Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The military’s media wing added that five terrorists were also killed during the operation.
“A vehicle-borne suicide bomber was intercepted by the leading group, foiling his nefarious design to target innocent civilians/law enforcement personnel in Bannu City, averting major catastrophe,” the ISPR stated.
It added that the terrorists were located during the operation and after an “intense fire exchange, five khwarij were sent to hell by the security forces”.
The statement added: “However, in desperation, khwarij rammed the explosive-laden vehicle into one of the vehicles of the leading group.”
Resultantly, 43-year-old Lt Colonel Shahzada Gul Faraz, hailing from Mansehra, whom the ISPR described as a “brave commanding officer renowned for his daring actions, who was leading his troops from the front”, and 28-year-old Sepoy Karamat Shah from Peshawar, embraced martyrdom.
In its statement, the military reiterated that terrorists were “using Afghan soil” for carrying out attacks inside Pakistan, “violating the sanctity of the holy month of Ramazan”.
“This clearly indicates that they have no link with Islam,” the ISPR declared.
It also noted that the “Afghan Taliban Regime has yet again failed to stop the khwarij from use of Afghan soil for terrorist activities inside Pakistan, that too in the holy month of Ramazan”.
“Pakistan will not exercise any restrain and operations would continue against the perpetrators of this heinous and cowardly act for justified retribution against khwarij, irrespective of their location,” the ISPR asserted.
The military’s media wing added that the counter-terrorism campaign under vision ‘Azm-i-Istehkam’ (as approved by the Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan “will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country”.
“Such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further reinforce our unwavering commitment [to] safeguarding our nation at all costs,” the military affirmed.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in separate statements, strongly condemned the “cowardly terrorist attack” and expressed grief over the martyrdoms.
“The supreme sacrifice of the martyrs is the nation’s asset,” President Zardari was quoted as saying.
Conveying his condolences to the martyrs’ families, the president said: “We aim to continue the operations against Fitna al Khawarij indiscriminately and with full force. There will be no compromise on the public’s protection.”
“The terrorists violating the sanctity of the month of Ramazan have no relation with Islam,” he added.
Similarly, in his statement reported by state-run APP, PM Shehbaz stressed that the terrorist act carried out by Fitna al Khawarij during Ramazan was “proof that terrorists had no religion”.
The prime minister commended the security forces for “foiling the nefarious designs of Fitna al Khwarij” by eliminating five terrorists, acting swiftly, and “saving the city from major destruction”.
Noting the security forces were achieving “major success” under the Azm-i-Istehkam vision, the premier reaffirmed that the state was determined to completely eradicate all forms of terrorism from the country.
Concerns over usage of Afghan soil amid terrorism resurgence
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist attacks, especially in KP and Balochistan, predominantly targeting the police, law enforcement agencies’ personnel, and security forces. Attacks increased after the banned TTP broke a ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022.
The Bannu district has been the scene of repeated security incidents in recent months, with both civilians and local security actors coming under attack, prompting targeted operations.
Islamabad has also raised concerns over the presence of TTP terrorists in Afghanistan, maintaining that they have been involved in attacks inside Pakistan.
It has repeatedly urged Kabul to take action to prevent these attacks.
Earlier this week, Pakistan issued a demarche to the Taliban regime over the use of Afghan soil for a terrorist attack on security forces in KP’s Bajaur that martyred 11 soldiers.
Pakistan had also issued a demarche to Afghanistan in late December, over its failure to rein in terrorist organisations operating from Afghan soil, after a deadly attack on a military camp in North Waziristan.
