5 terrorists killed, 2 soldiers lose lives in military operation in Pakistan: Official

PESHAWAR: At least five terrorists were killed while two Pakistani Army soldiers, including a Captain, lost their lives during a military operation against the militants in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, according to an official statement.

The incident happened when the security officials launched an intelligence-based operation in the province’s Hassan Khel area, some 35 km west of Peshawar district.

“The operation was conducted in the restive Hassan Khel area some 35 km west of Peshawar district. The troops ‘effectively engaged’ with the terrorists and killed five of them while injuring three others. The operation was launched on the reported presence of terrorists in the area,” said the statement issued by the Pakistan Army’s media wing ISPR.

It said that in the operation two soldiers, including a Captain of the Pakistan Army, lost their lives.

At least 92 per cent of all fatalities and 86 per cent of the 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 2024 Security Report issued by 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.