• Four security men embrace martyrdom as check post comes under attack in North Waziristan
• Two Coast Guard personnel martyred in attack near Iran border

PESHAWAR / QUETTA: Twelve terrorists were gun­ned down by the security forces in separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtun­khwa and Balochistan, said the Inter-Services Public Rel­ations (ISPR) on Thursday.

In the North Waziristan operation, four security men, including a lieutenant, were martyred in the gun battle with terrorists who had ambushed their check post, whereas two Coast Guard men in Jiwani embraced martyrdom in an attack near the Pakistan-Iran border.

According to the ISPR statement, Indian-sponsored militants on the night of May 28-29 attempted to attack a check post in the Shawal area of North Waziristan. “The attempt was effectively thwarted by own troops and in ensuing fire exchange, six Indian sponsored Khwarij (a term used for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan outfit) were sent to hell,” it said, adding that four security men embraced martyrdom in the battle.

“…during intense fire exchange, Lieutenant Dani­yal Ismail (age: 24 years, resident of District Mardan), a brave young officer who was leading his troops from front, fought gallantly and emb­raced Shahadat along with his three men. The three soldiers who paid ultimate sacrifice include Naib Subedar Kashif Raza (age: 42 years, resident of District Chak­wal), Lance Naik Fiaqat Ali (age: 35 years, resident of District Haripur) and Sepoy Muhammad Hameed (age: 26 years, resident of District Abbottabad).”

Sources, meanwhile, said that a curfew was imposed across the North Waziristan district after the incident, while the martyred and injured personnel were shifted to the Miramshah hospital, from where the gravely injured were moved to the CMH in Bannu.

The curfew remained imposed across the district from 6am to 6pm on Thursday. The authorities urged residents to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary movement while all entry and exit points remained sealed. A search operation was extended to Shawal and nearby areas.

In a separate incident in Chitral district, the ISPR said, one terrorist was killed.

Meanwhile, a clash took place when a group of militants attacked policemen and villagers in the Landidak area of Bannu. An official said that the policemen and villagers were present when militants attacked the area, leading to a fierce gun battle.

“A policeman identified as Murtaza lost his life in the gun battle while his colleague Mir Zaman and a schoolteacher Naqeeb Ahmad were injured,” he said, adding that an effective response by armed villagers and police forced the assailants to flee.

The body and the injured were shifted to the Bannu district headquarters hospital. “The martyred and injured policemen were deployed at the TDP camp in Bakkakhel area,” he added.

Some local tribesmen said they had already warned the armed groups and criminals not to infiltrate their area; otherwise, they would face tough resistance. They said the tribesmen had detained two members of an armed group when a villager was kidnapped by them. “Both of the detainees were released when the kidnappers freed the villager,” they maintained.

Violence in Balochistan

In Balochistan, five terrorists were killed by security forces in two operations, while two Coast Guard men lost their lives in an attack on a check post near the Iran border in Jiwani.

The officials said unknown armed men targeted the personnel in the coastal area of Sundi where they were deployed at a check post. “Armed men came from across the border and…martyred [them] on the spot,” Assistant Commissioner Jawad Ahmed Zehri confirmed, saying the security forces had launched an operation to hunt the terrorists.

According to a statement by the army’s media wing, five terrorists were killed in Kech and Loralai districts. In Loralai, the troops engaged the terrorists’ location and after an intense fire exchange, “four Indian-sponsored terrorists were successfully neutralised”. ISPR said the militants were involved in numerous terrorist activities, including attacks on N-70 near Rarasham on August 26, 2024, and February 18 that resulted in the death of 30 civilians.

In another engagement that took place in Kech district, one more terrorist was gunned down, it added.

Pazeer Gul in North Waziristan and Behram Baloch in Gwadar also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2025