Three soldiers and 19 insurgents were killed in separate incidents, reports the Pakistani daily The Nation citing Pakistan ISPR.
The first operation, targeting Khwarij in Matani, Peshawar district, resulted in the elimination of eight terrorists. In a second operation in Baizai, Mohmand district, security forces killed another eight insurgents. The third engagement in Karak district led to the neutralization of three more insurgents.
During these intense operations, three soldiers—Lance Havaldar Abbas Ali (38), Naik Muhammad Nazir (37), and Naik Muhammad Usman (37)—died.
The ISPR said that “sanitisation operations were being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area.”
It also said that “security forces of the country are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve.”
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised troops for eliminating the insurgents. In separate statements, they also paid tributes to the “martyred” soldiers.
In recent months, Pakistan has stepped up intelligence-based operations against the Pakistani Taliban, which has become emboldened since the Afghan Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. The TTP is a separate group, but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban.