A soldier was martyred in an exchange of fire with terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district on Saturday, according to the military’s media wing.

The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release said the skirmish took place in the district’s general area of Mir Ali.

“Own troops effectively engaged terrorists’ location. However, during intense exchange of fire, Lance Naik Jamshed Khan (age 28 years, resident of District Upper Dir), having fought gallantly, embraced martyrdom,” the ISPR said.

It added the area was being sanitised to eliminate any terrorists found in the vicinity.

“Security forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” the ISPR said.

On Wednesday, four soldiers were martyred and 12 terrorists killed in an operation to repulse militants from KP’s Chitral district.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities in recent months, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ended its ceasefire with the government in November last year.

On August 22, six soldiers embraced martyrdom in an exchange of fire in South Waziristan district, the military’s media wing said last week. At least four terrorists were killed in the gun battle.

In July, as many as 12 soldiers of the Pakistan Army were martyred in separate military operations in the Zhob and Sui areas of Balochistan.

That was the military’s highest single-day death toll from terrorist attacks reported this year. Before this, 10 personnel were martyred in a ‘fire raid’ in Balochistan’s Kech district in February 2022.

A report released in July by the think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies said the first half of the current year witnessed a steady and alarming rise in terror and suicide attacks, claiming the lives of 389 people across the country.