President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sentenced the suicidal attack on the security forces in Waziristan of the North, qualifying him as a cowardly act sponsored by external forces aimed at destabilizing the country.
In his separate statements, the president and the prime minister paid tribute to the 13 martyred soldiers during the operation and praised the security forces to eliminate 14 terrorists in the subsequent exchange of fire while offering sentences for the elevation of the rows of the martyrs and expressed sympathies with the disconsolate families.
Both leaders also wanted a rapid recovery for the three civilians, including two children and a woman, who were injured in the attack.
Read more: 13 martyred troops in a suicidal attack against Military convoy in Waziristán del Norte
President Zardari said that the Pakistani nation and its armed forces were determined to uproot terrorism, particularly the networks “sponsored by the Indians” that operated in the region.
He stressed that the sacrifices of the martyrs would never be forgotten and that national resilience would prevail over all attempts to destabilize the country.
Prime Minister Sharif, in his statement, said that the nation greeted martyred staff and joined in its determination to eliminate terrorism in all its forms. He reiterated that such cowardly acts would not shake Pakistan’s commitment to peace and security.
The coordinated attack occurred on Saturday morning in the village Dandi Dir Dawani by Mir Ali Tehsil, where a suicidal terrorist attacked a military convoy.
According to the sources, the incident took place at 7:45 am during the molestring hours imposed due to the movements of the troops.
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Public relations between services, in a statement, confirmed the loss of 13 military and injuries to three civilians in the suicidal attack. The wing of the army media said that the bomber vehicle was intercepted by the main group in the convoy, but the attackers managed to detonate the explosives, which resulted in significant casualties.
After the explosion, a disinfecting operation was launched in the area. In a separate statement, the ISPR said that 14 terrorists were killed in the exchange of posterior fire. The operation was still ongoing to clear the area of any remaining threat, he added.
A relatively known militant team, Aswadul Harb, attributed the responsibility of the attack and identified the suicide terrorist as a man named Abdullah. According to the reports, the group is linked to the Hafiz Gul Bahadur network, a faction aligned with the illegal of Tehreek-E-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is believed to be operating from safe shelters in the province of Khost of Afghanistan.
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The army field leader, Syed also Munir, paid tribute to the fallen soldiers and promised to unmask what he called the “true perpetrator of terrorism in the region.”
He praised the courage and professionalism of the troops involved in the operation, stating that the Armed Forces “continue to confront and neutralize the Fitna al-Khawarij sponsored by India with an exemplary value.”
“The people of Pakistan are united in their determination to eradicate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations until the threat is decisively eliminated from the country,” said the head of the Army.
