Two Pakistan Army soldiers were martyred on Saturday in a blast from an improvised explosive device in Khyber tribal district’s Bara tehsil, according to the military’s media wing.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement said Naib Subedar Hazrat Gul, a 37-year-old resident of Lower Dir, and Sepoy Nazir Ullah Mehsud, a 34-year-old resident of South Waziristan, were martyred in the explosion.

The ISPR said that soon after the incident, security forces and police reached the place and launched a search operation but no arrest was made yet.

“Sanitisation of the area is being carried out to eliminate any terrorists in the area.

“Pakistan’s security forces are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” the ISPR added.

On Wednesday, the ISPR said eight terrorists were killed and a soldier was martyred during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Shinwarsak area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s South Waziristan district.

On March 21, a brigadier from the Inter-Services Intelligence was martyred during an encounter with “hardcore terrorists” in South Waziristan’s Angoor Adda while three soldiers embraced martyrdom and three terrorists were killed during an exchange of fire in Dera Ismail Khan district.

On March 10, five terrorists were killed by security forces in IBOs carried out in North and South Waziristan.