Five soldiers martyred in Kurram IED blast

• Sanitisation of the area is being carried out, says ISPR.
• Military says security forces determined to eliminate terrorism.
• "[..] sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve."

Five soldiers of the Pakistan Army were martyred after an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded on a vehicle of the security forces in Sadda area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram District, the military’s wing said on Friday.

Five brave sons of soil identified as Havildar Aqeel Ahmed, age 33 years, resident of Okara district; Lance Naik Muhammad Tafeer, age 30 years, resident of Poonch district; Sepoy Anosh Rufun, age 24 years, resident of Attock district; Sepoy Muhammad Azam Khan, age 26 years, resident of Haripur district and Sepoy Haroon William, age 29 years, resident of Islamabad Capital Territory, made the ultimate sacrifice and embraced Shahadat (martyrdom), according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The sanitisation of the area is being carried out to eliminate any terrorists present in the area and perpetrators of this henious act will be brought to justice, the ISPR added.

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

Earlier this month, seven Pakistan Army soldiers, including a captain, were martyred after an IED hit the vehicle of the security forces in Lakki Marwat district, the ISPR had said.

Subsequently, security forces eliminated 11 terrorists, involved in the martyrdom of seven army men, during an intelligence-based operation in the Lakki Marwat district, the military’s media wing said on June 11.

At least 92% of all fatalities and 86% of attacks, including those related to terrorism and security forces operations, were recorded in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces in the first quarter of 2024.

These key findings were revealed in the Q1 2024 Security Report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), detailing that the country witnessed at least 432 violence-linked fatalities and 370 injuries among civilians, security personnel and outlaws resulting from as many as 245 incidents of terror attacks and counter-terror operations.

Among the 432 fatalities, 281 included that of civilians and security forces personnel.