Army major among two martyred in North Waziristan gun battle against terrorists

• Major Hamza Israr, 29, embraces martydorm.
• He was leading his troops from the front.
• Forces determined to wipe out terrorism.

A major among two army personnel were martyred in a gun battle with terrorists in North Waziristan's Mir Ali area, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday.

The military's media wing said that the exchange of fire took place on the night between January 29-30, when the security forces were conducting an intelligence-based operation.

"During the conduct of [the] operation, own troops effectively engaged the khwarij [terrorist] location and resultantly six khwarij were sent to hell," the ISPR said in the statement.

The martyred security personnel, meanwhile, were identified as Major Hamza Israr, 29, a resident of Rawalpindi, a brave officer who was leading his troops from the front, the communique added.

Another martyr was Sepoy Muhammad Naeem, 26, a resident of Naseerabad, having fought gallantly, and paid the ultimate sacrifice.

In response, a sanitisation operation is being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area as the "security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve".

Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari has paid tribute to security forces for killing six Khawarij terrorists.

The president also paid tribute to martyred security officials. He lauded bravery and patriotism of Major Israr and Sepoy Naeem.

"Security forces will continue their operations until terrorists are completely eliminated. Our resolve to eliminate terrorist elements and defend the country will remain unwavering," he said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also paid tribute to the security forces for showing great gallantry in the fight as well as paid homage to the martyred Army officials.

PM Shehbaz prayed for the high ranks of the martyrs and patience for their bereaved families.

“We will not let the great sacrifices of the sons of the nation go in vain and will destroy the nefarious intentions of anti-state elements,” the prime minister said.

The government and security forces were mobilised to completely eradicate terrorism from the country, he added.

Two other soldiers were martyred and five terrorists killed, earlier this week, as militants attempted to attack a security forces’ post in the Gulistan area of Qila Abdullah district of Balochistan.

Pakistan witnessed a surge in violent attacks since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the bordering provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The year 2024 turned out to be the deadliest for Pakistan's civil and military security forces in a decade with at least 685 fatalities and 444 terror attacks, according to “CRSS Annual Security Report 2024” issued by Centre for Security and Strategic Studies.

Equally alarming were the cumulative losses of civilians and security personnel, i.e., 1,612 fatalities, accounting for over 63% of the total recorded this year, marking 73% more losses compared to 934 outlaws eliminated, the CRSS report said.

The overall fatalities recorded the previous year were a record 9-year high and over 66% more than in 2023. On average, nearly seven people lost their lives daily, with November emerging as the deadliest month across all metrics, compared to all other months of the year.