One Frontier Corps soldier was martyred while a terrorist was killed during an exchange of fire in the Loesam area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district, the army’s media wing said on Thursday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the troops “effectively engaged” at the location of terrorists, and one terrorist “was sent to hell”.

The martyred soldier identified as 23-year-old Sepoy Shafiq Ur Rehman was a resident of Dera Ismail Khan and fought gallantly.

“Sanitisation of the area is being carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the area,” the ISPR said. “Security forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and these sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve.”

On May 17, two terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation in the Janikhel area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district.

According to ISPR, the slain terrorists “remained actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces and innocent citizens”.

The outlawed militant group TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November.

Earlier this month, six army soldiers were martyred during an exchange of fire with militants in the Dir Duni area of KP’s North Waziristan district.

In his maiden press briefing last month, ISPR Director General Maj Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that at least 293 people were martyred and 521 were injured in 436 terrorist incidents over the past year.

In KP, 192 people were martyred in 219 terror activities, while 80 people lost lives in 206 incidents in Balochistan, 14 people in five attacks in Punjab, and seven in six terrorism incidents across Sindh.

He had said that the army and law enforcement agencies carried out 8,269 intelligence-based operations during the previous year in which 1,378 suspected terrorists were apprehended and 157 were killed.

The DG ISPR had also said that overall 137 security personnel were martyred and 117 injured in anti-terror operations in the ongoing year.