Two soldiers killed in blast in northwest Pakistan

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani soldiers were killed in a blast in the country’s restive northwest, the Pakistani military said on Saturday, amid a surge in militant violence in the country.

The soldiers were targeted with an improvised explosive device (IED) in Sarwekai area of South Waziristan district, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
The deceased soldiers were identified as Sepoy Banaras Khan and Sepoy Abdul Karim.

“Sanitization operation is being carried out to eliminate the terrorists present in the area,” the ISPR said in a statement.

Separately, the military said it had killed a militant and arrested two others following a gunbattle during an intelligence-based operation in Khyber district.
“Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from these terrorists,” the ISPR added.

Earlier this month, four Pakistani soldiers and six militants were killed in multiple shootouts in the restive region.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in militant violence in its northwestern and southwestern regions bordering Afghanistan, particularly after the Pakistani Taliban called off their fragile truce with the government in November 2022. 

The militant group, which is said to have sanctuaries in neighboring Afghanistan, is separate from but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban.

Late last month, Pakistan lost over 60 people in two suicide bombings that targeted a mosque and a religious congregation, prompting the government to ask all illegal immigrants to leave the country by November 1.