By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: A army major was killed, and two soldiers wounded in a clash with militants near the Afghan border, the military said on Thursday, the latest in a series of attacks on security forces in the restive region.
The raid took place on Wednesday night in the Shakhas area of Khyber tribal district after intelligence reports indicated the presence of militants there, the military’s media wing said.
Major Mian Abdullah Shah, 33, who was leading the operation, spotted a group of militants trying to escape and died in an exchange of fire, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
“Three terrorists and their facilitators were apprehended. Sanitisation of the area is being carried out to eliminate the terrorists present in the area,” it said. “Security forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our soldiers further strengthen our resolve.”
Pakistan has been battling various militant groups in its tribal regions for years. The violence has intensified in recent weeks, with several attacks on security checkpoints and convoys that have killed dozens of soldiers and wounded many others.
On Monday, an army major and a soldier were killed in a gunfight with militants in Balochistan province, hours after four security personnel were killed in attacks on three checkpoints in another province. A day earlier, three soldiers were killed in a suicide attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district.
The Pakistani Taliban, an ally of the Afghan insurgents, has increased attacks on security forces and civilians in recent months.
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