Peshawar: At least eight "terrorists" and two soldiers were killed in two separate engagements with security forces in Pakistan's northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province bordering Afghanistan, said military on Sunday. According to Kuwait News Agency, a statement issued by the military's Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) indicated that an intelligence-based operation was conducted in the Baka Khel area of the Bannu district in the KPK on the reported presence of terrorists. "During the conduct of the operation, troops effectively engaged with the terrorists' location, and killed five militants while nine others were injured," stated ISPR. Unfortunately, the operation resulted in the death of a Pakistani soldier, it confirmed. In a separate operation in the general area of Shagai in the Khyber district of the province, three terrorists were killed while two others were apprehended by the security forces, according to military statements. It further confirmed that an officer of the Pakistan army who le d the troops from the front was killed in the operation. The militants were reportedly involved in numerous terrorist activities against the security forces, as well as innocent civilians, detailed the ISPR statement. These operations come at a time when Pakistan has witnessed a rise in terror attacks, particularly in the KPK and Balochistan provinces bordering Afghanistan.
