NORTH and SOUTH WAZIRISTAN / LAKKI MARWAT: Eight people – five security officials and three children – lost their lives in three separate incidents in Lakki Marwat districts of North and South Waziristan on Tuesday.
An army officer was martyred in a gunfight with militants in North Waziristan, while three soldiers lost their lives in an attack and 12 others were injured in South Waziristan district. A policeman and his three minor nephews lost their lives in Lakki Marwat district on Tuesday.
Captain Muhammad Usama bin Arshad, 24, a resident of Rawalpindi district, was martyred during a gunfight between security forces and militants in the district, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
During the gunfight, the security forces effectively targeted the militants, resulting in the death of two militants, the ISPR added.
A decontamination operation was underway to eliminate any remaining militants in the area. “Pakistan’s security forces are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the country and such sacrifices by our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” it added.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur expressed their grief over the martyrdom of Captain Osama.
Three soldiers martyred
Three soldiers were martyred in an intense gunfight with militants in South Waziristan district, ISPR said.
He identified the three soldiers as Sepoy Asadullah, 30, a resident of Matiari District; Sepoy Muhammad Sufyan, 28, a resident of Dera Ismail Khan district; and non-combatant carrier Zain Ali, 24, a resident of Bahawalnagar district.
Attack of Lakki Marwat
In Lakki Marwat, four family members, including a policeman, lost their lives and a minor was injured when unidentified assailants opened fire on their vehicle near the Kurram Bridge on the Indus Highway under Dadiwala Police Station jurisdiction.
“Head Constable Saadullah and his family were traveling to Peshawar from Titterkhel for medical treatment,” the official said. The attackers suddenly emerged and sprayed the car with bullets, injuring the policeman and his three nephews. The two women in the car were unhurt.
Constable Saadullah, 37, and his nephews – Abdul Rehman, 8; Sufyan, 12; and Sayyam, 12 — were seriously injured in the attack and died on the way to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Serai Naurang town. Another injured minor, Farmanullah, was taken to a hospital in Peshawar.
Constable Saadullah, who was posted at Shaheed Haibat Ali Khan police station in Darra Pezu town, hailed from Titterkhel town.
After the incident, a large contingent of police arrived at the scene and launched a search operation for the attackers. Counter-terrorism officers and investigative experts also gathered evidence at the scene.
The policeman’s body was taken to Police Lines where his funeral prayer was offered before being taken to Titterkhel for burial with full official honours. The attack took place near a dense forest along the Kurram river, locally known as ‘Darga’.
Separately, three women were injured when a mortar shell hit a policeman’s house in Tappi, North Waziristan. The police informed that the injured women were taken to the hospital for treatment.
