BAJAUR: A soldier was martyred and four terrorists were killed during an exchange of fire in the Charmang valley of Bajaur district on Sunday, the military’s media wing said in a statement.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces conducted an operation after receiving intelligence reports about the presence of terrorists in tehsil Nawagai.

As the forces closed in on the suspected hideout, the terrorists opened fire. The security forces responded promptly and gunned down four terrorists.

The statement added that one terrorist was arrested in the operation.

Weapons, ammunition and explosives, including a suicide vest, were recovered from the terrorist’s possession, the ISPR claimed, adding the deceased terrorists were “actively involved in numerous militant activities against security forces and killing of innocent citizens, especially in suicide blasts”.

The martyred soldier was identified as 24-year-old Sepoy Muhammad Shoaib, a resident of Kohat district.

A sanitisation operation to eliminate any terrorists found in the area was underway, the statement added.

The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has confirmed the clash and claimed that the deceased were associated with the group. However, the group disputed the death toll.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2023