Terrorist killed, soldier martyred in Zhob shootout: ISPR

• One of the terrorists was killed in fire exchange. 
• Operation's aim is to deny terrorists sneak into KP.
• Terrorists were supported by facilitators from across borders: ISPR.

One soldier was martyred while two others got injured in a heavy exchange of fire with terrorists during an operation in Zhob, Balochistan, a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Sunday. 

According to the military's media wing, the operation which has been initiated in Zhob for the last 96 hours aims "to deny the terrorists' use of a few suspected routes to move across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border to sneak into the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa along the interprovincial boundary and target citizens and security forces."

As a result of continuous surveillance and sanitisation of the area, a group of terrorists was intercepted in the early hours of Sunday, said the ISPR, adding that "during the establishment of blocking positions to deny them escape routes, terrorists opened fire onto the security forces."

In the ensuing heavy exchange of fire, one of the terrorists was killed while Sepoy Haq Nawaz embraced martyrdom and two other soldiers got injured. "The terrorists were supported by their facilitators from across the border as well through the fire," added the statement. 

The sanitation operation continues in the area to apprehend the remaining perpetrators, it said.