RAWALPINDI: At least 19 Khawarij were killed and 11 Pakistani soldiers, including two officers, were martyred during a gunbattle in Orakzai district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military said on Wednesday.
According to a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces launched an intelligence-based operation in the Orakzai tribal district on the night of October 7–8, following reports about the presence of militants linked to the Indian proxy group “Fitna al Khawarij.”
ISPR said Pakistani troops engaged the militants effectively, killing 19 of them. During the intense exchange of fire, Lieutenant Colonel Junaid Arif, 39, and Major Tayyab Rahat, 33 — both residents of Rawalpindi — were martyred while leading their troops from the front.
Nine other soldiers also embraced martyrdom. They were identified as Naib Subedar Azam Gul (38, Khyber), Naik Adil Hussain (35, Kurram), Naik Gul Ameer (34, Tank), Lance Naik Sher Khan (31, Mardan), Lance Naik Talish Faraz (32, Mansehra), Lance Naik Irshad Hussain (32, Kurram), Sepoy Tufail Khan (28, Malakand), Sepoy Aqib Ali (23, Swabi), and Sepoy Muhammad Zahid (24, Tank).
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Security forces have launched a clearance operation in the area to eliminate any remaining militants. The army said it remains determined to eradicate terrorism from Pakistan, adding that the sacrifices of its soldiers “further strengthen our national resolve.”
