Pakistan: Seven soldiers killed in terror attack on security forces in North Waziristan

Islamabad [Pakistan], March 17 : Seven soldiers, including two officers, were killed in a terror attack on a security forces post in the Mir Ali area of Pakistan's North Waziristan district, Dawn reported, citing the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
Six terrorists were killed in the subsequent clearance operation. According to the military's media affairs wing, a group of six terrorists attacked a security forces' post in the general area of North Waziristan's Mir Ali in the early hours of Saturday.
In an official statement, the ISPR said the terrorists rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the post followed by multiple suicide bombing attacks after the Pakistani troops foiled the initial attempt of intrusion.
Further, according to the ISPR, five soldiers lost their lives in the subsequent gunfight with the forces and a portion of a building collapsed.
The soldiers killed in the initial attack were identified as Havildar Sabir, Naik Khurshid, Sepoy Nasir, Sepoy Raja and Sepoy Sajjad, Dawn reported.
"During the conduct of the ensuing clearance operation, own troops led by Lieutenant Colonel Kashif, effectively engaged and killed all six terrorists," the ISPR said.
It added that Lieutenant Colonel Syed Kashif Ali (39) and Captain Muhammad Ahmed Badar (23) were killed during the exchange of fire. Further, according to ISPR, a sanitisation operation was carried out to eliminate any other terrorists present in the area.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack.
Condemning the terror attack in Mir Ali, Zardari also offered condolences to the bereaved families. He expressed Pakistan's commitment to eradicate terrorism, Dawn reported.
Calling the attack a 'cowardly move' by the terrorists, PM Sharif said in a release by his office, "The security forces have foiled the sinister designs of the terrorists." He prayed for the departed souls while offering condolences to the families of the victims.
Pakistan witnessed a rise in terrorist activities in 2023, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, after the ceasefire ended between outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and the Pakistan government in November 2022.
The country has witnessed 1,524 violence-related fatalities and 1,463 injuries from 789 terror attacks and counter-terror operations in 2023, Dawn reported, citing annual security report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were the primary centres of violence, reporting over 90 per cent of all fatalities and 84 per cent of attacks, including incidents of terrorism and operations by security forces.
Earlier this month, 10 terrorists were killed by Pakistani security forces in separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's North Waziristan district, Dawn reported, quoting the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The operations took place over two days--March 8-9, according to the media wing of the Pakistan army.
On March 10, the ISPR, in a press release, stated that four terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO). Later, four more terrorists were 'successfully neutralised' during the follow-up sanitisation operation by the security forces, Dawn reported, citing the release.
Meanwhile, in a separate operation in the district, the ISPR said it identified five terrorists, who were trying to infiltrate the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. "After an intense fire exchange, two terrorists--Hazrat Umer and Rehman Niaz--were also sent to hell while three others were injured," it added.