One soldier killed in exchange of fire with terrorists

A soldier was killed in an exchange of fire with terrorists in the North Waziristan area of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday, Pakistan-based Dawn reported citing the military wing.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in the press release said that the exchange of fire took place in the Mir Ali area. In the statement, ISPR said that Lance Naik Jamshed Khan was killed during his exchange of fire. It further said that the area was being sanitised to eliminate any terrorists found in the region.

ISPR said, "Security forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve."

On Wednesday, four soldiers were killed and 12 terrorists were killed in an operation to repulse terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Chitral district, Dawn reported.

Notably, Pakistan has witnessed a rise in terrorist activities in recent months, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan after the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ended its ceasefire with the government in November last year.

On August 22, six soldiers were killed in an exchange of fire in the South Waziristan district, according to the military's media wing. At least four terrorists were killed in the gun battle, Dawn reported.

Earlier in July, a think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies said that 389 people died in terror and suicide attacks in half of the current year, according to Dawn.

In the report, the data revealed that a total of 271 attacks had taken place in Pakistan during the period under review, which took 389 lives and injured 656 others, according to Dawn.

Last year, in the same period, Pakistan witnessed 151 attacks, causing 293 deaths and 487 injuries. The figures depict a staggering 79 per cent increase in attacks during the first half of 2023 in comparison to the period last year.