Pakistani army officer, 3 soldiers killed in intelligence-based operation in Khyber district

Four servicemen, including a senior officer, were martyred in an intelligence based operation (IBO) in the remote Tirah Valley of Khyber tribal district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the military said in a statement on Monday.

Three terrorists were also killed and as many injured in the gunfight which came amid a sharp upsurge in terrorist violence in the country – a series of bomb and gun attacks on security forces, including a brazen assault on a training airbase in Mianwali.

The IBO was launched by security forces on the reported presence of terrorists in the general area of Tirah, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military media wing, said in a statement.

Commenting on an ongoing “sanitisation operation” to eliminate terrorists, the ISPR said, “Security forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve.”

Just recently, 17 servicemen were killed in different terrorist attacks in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) provinces.

Militant group Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP) had claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement sent to journalists by its spokesperson.