Lieutenant Colonel Shahzada, 43, a resident of Mansehra, and Sepoy Karamat Shah, 28, of Peshawar, were martyred in the attack. PHOTO: ISPR
RAWALPINDI:
An army officer and a soldier embraced martyrdom in a suicide attack in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, the army’s media wing said on Saturday.
According to Inter-Services Public Relations, a convoy of security forces was “attacked by Indian representative Fitna al Khawarij” while an intelligence-based operation (IBO) was being carried out on the suspected presence of terrorists, including a suicide bomber.
The state uses the term Fitna al Khawarij to refer to terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The statement added that five terrorists were also killed during the operation.
“A vehicle-borne suicide bomber was intercepted by the lead group, foiling their nefarious design of attacking innocent civilians and law enforcement personnel in Bannu, averting a major catastrophe,” the ISPR said.
“During the operation, the Khwarij were located and after an intense exchange of fire, the security forces sent five Khwarij to hell. However, in desperation, Khwarij rammed the explosive-laden vehicle into one of the vehicles of the leading group,” he further said.
As a result, Lieutenant Colonel Shahzada Gul Faraz (age: 43 years, resident of Mansehra district), a brave commander famous for his daring actions, who led his troops from the front, embraced shahadat along with sepoy Karamat Shah (age: 28 years, resident of Peshawar district).
“The Khwarij continue their terrorist activities inside Pakistan using Afghan soil, violating the sanctity of the holy month of Ramazan. This clearly indicates that they have no link with Islam,” the press release said.
The Afghan Taliban regime has once again failed to stop the Khwarij from using Afghan soil for terrorist activities inside Pakistan, and that too in the holy month of Ramazan. Pakistan will not exercise any restraint and will continue operations against the perpetrators of this heinous and cowardly act seeking justified retaliation against Khwarij irrespective of their location.
“The counter-terrorism campaign under the vision ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’ (approved by the Federal Supreme Committee on National Action Plan) by the Security Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to eliminate the menace of foreign sponsored and supported terrorism from the country and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further reinforce our unwavering commitment to safeguard our nation at all costs,” the press release said.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the terror attack.
The President and Prime Minister expressed their deep sorrow and grief over the martyrdom of Lieutenant Colonel Shahzada Gul Faraz and Sepoy Karamat Shah.
The president said the great sacrifices of his martyrs were a national asset, the press wing of the Presidential Secretariat said in a press release.
The President and Prime Minister conveyed their heartfelt condolences to the families of the martyrs and prayed for the upliftment of their ranks in Jannah and for granting patience and strength to the bereaved families.
The president also reaffirmed the determination that operations against Fitna al-Khwarij would continue without discrimination and with full force, emphasizing that the nation would be protected at all costs.
The president further said that the terrorists who violated the sanctity of the holy month of Ramazan had no connection with Islam.
The prime minister praised the security forces for foiling the nefarious designs of Fitna al-Khwarij by eliminating five terrorists during the operation, the PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.
He further observed that the act of terrorism carried out by Fitna al-Khawarij, during the blessed month of Ramadan, was proof that the terrorists had no religion.
The prime minister said the security forces acted quickly, saving the city from further destruction, adding that under the vision of Azm-e-Istehkam, the security forces were achieving great successes in the fight against terrorism.
He further said that the entire nation supported the Pakistani armed forces in this war against terrorism.
The Prime Minister reaffirmed that they were determined to completely eradicate all forms of terrorism from the country.
