16 Pakistan army soldiers martyred in South Waziristan terrorist attack: ISPR

Sixteen Pakistan Army soldiers were martyred while successfully thwarting a terrorist attack on a security checkpoint in South Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the military’s media wing reported on Saturday.

The attack took place during the night between December 20 and 21 when a group of terrorists attempted to strike the security post in the Makeen area of the tribal district.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated that the attack was effectively repelled by Pakistani troops, resulting in a fierce exchange of gunfire in which eight terrorists were killed.

Despite the heavy firefight, sixteen Pakistani soldiers embraced martyrdom in the line of duty, including Havildar Tahir Mehmood, Lance Naik Muhammad Ishaq, and others, as shown in a collage shared by the ISPR.

In response, the military launched a sanitisation operation in the area to capture those responsible for the attack, emphasizing Pakistan’s commitment to eliminating terrorism.

The ISPR further stated that these sacrifices would only strengthen the resolve of security forces.

Earlier, on December 19-20, a separate incident in Khyber district saw a Pakistan Army soldier martyred and four terrorists neutralized while thwarting a cross-border infiltration attempt.

These recent incidents are part of a surge in terrorist violence in the region, with reports showing a 90% increase in fatalities from terrorism in recent months, particularly in KP and Balochistan.