BANNU: A lieutenant colonel and a sepoy were martyred in a suicide attack during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Saturday, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
In a statement, the military’s media wing said a security forces’ convoy was targeted by “Indian proxy Fitna al Khwarij” while troops were acting on intelligence regarding the presence of militants, including a suicide bomber.
Security forces engaged the militants in an intense exchange of fire, killing five of them during the operation. The ISPR said a vehicle-borne suicide bomber was intercepted by the leading group, thwarting an alleged plan to target civilians and law enforcement personnel in Bannu city and averting what it described as a major catastrophe.
However, the attacker rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into one of the security vehicles. As a result, 43-year-old Lt Col Shahzada Gul Faraz from Mansehra, who was leading his troops from the front, and 28-year-old Sepoy Karamat Shah from Peshawar, embraced martyrdom.
The military reiterated its stance that militants are using Afghan soil to carry out attacks inside Pakistan and criticised the Afghan Taliban authorities for failing to prevent such activity. It asserted that counter-terrorism operations under the “Azm-i-Istehkam” framework would continue without restraint against those responsible.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and expressed condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers. Both leaders reaffirmed the state’s resolve to eliminate militancy and ensure public safety.
Bannu has witnessed a series of security incidents in recent months, with both civilians and security personnel coming under attack, prompting targeted operations in the district.
Islamabad has repeatedly voiced concern over the presence of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in Afghanistan, maintaining that they have been involved in attacks inside Pakistan. Authorities have urged Kabul on multiple occasions to take concrete steps to prevent the use of its territory for cross-border militancy.
Earlier this week, Pakistan issued a formal demarche to the Afghan Taliban authorities over what it said was the use of Afghan soil in a terrorist attack in Bajaur district that resulted in the martyrdom of 11 soldiers. A similar protest was lodged in late December following a deadly assault on a military camp in North Waziristan, with Islamabad calling on Kabul to rein in militant groups allegedly operating from its territory.