Two soldiers were martyred while one terrorist was killed in an exchange of fire between security forces and militants in the Mir Ali area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan District, the military’s media affairs wing said on Monday.

In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that last night, troops “effectively engaged the terrorists’ location”. As a result, one terrorist was “sent to hell”.

The ISPR further said 25-year-old Sepoy Abdullah and 19-year-old Sepoy Muhammad Sohail embraced martyrdom during the exchange.

“Sanitisation of the surrounding areas is being carried out to neutralise any terrorists found in the area. 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.

Last week, a Pakistan Army officer and three soldiers were martyred in an intelligence-based operation in the Tirah area of KP’s Khyber district while terrorists had attac­ked the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) heavily guarded M.M. Alam Base on Nov 4.

On Nov 3, 17 security personnel were martyred in an ambush, bomb blasts and security operation in Gwadar, Dera Ismail Khan and Lakki Marwat.

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

In September, data compiled by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) said the number of militant attacks in August was the highest tally for monthly strikes in almost nine years.