Two children martyred during South Waziristan operation against terrorists: ISPR

• Army conducts operation in tribal area.
• Eight terrorists killed in operation.
• Troops act upon presence of information in Zinghara.

RAWALPINDI: Two children embraced martyrdom and two soldiers were injured during a gun battle between terrorists and security forces in South Waziristan's Zinghara area, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Thursday.

During the operation, according to the military's media wing, the forces also gunned down eight terrorists following a tip-off in the area.

A face-off between troops and terrorists included an intense gun battle and mortar fire between security forces and terrorists, the ISPR said.

Pakistan is, yet again, being confronted by a spate of terror attacks across its rural and urban centres. The country's security forces, law enforcement personnel and innocent civilians are being targeted by terrorists.

While the attacks continue, Pakistan's civil and military leadership resolved to take down the perpetrators to stop them from challenging the state's writ by conducting intelligence-based operations (IBO) to sanitise areas infiltrated by militants.

A day earlier, security forces gunned down one terrorist commander involved in an attack on a census team in the Gara Guldad area of Dera Ismail Khan's Tehsil Kulachi.

Terrorists had opened fire on a police party employed on census security duty in Tank's Raghzai area, and as a result, one policeman — Constable Dil Jaan — embraced martyrdom.

Earlier this week, the Ministry of Defence turned down the Election Commission of Pakistan's request to provide security during the elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The ministry stated that Pakistan Army will not be available for election duty this year due to the “situation in the country”, noting that the security of the borders and the country was the army’s “first priority”.