Lt Col Shahzada, 43, a resident of Mansehra, and Sepoy Karamat Shah, 28, from 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 military’s media wing said on Saturday.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, a security forces’ convoy was “targeted by Indian proxy Fitna al Khawarij” while an intelligence-based operation (IBO) was being conducted on the reported presence of terrorists, including a suicide bomber.
The state uses the term Fitna al Khawarij for the 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 leading group, foiling his nefarious design to target innocent civilians/law enforcement personnel in Bannu, averting a major catastrophe,” the ISPR said.
“During the conduct of the operation, khwarij were located and after an intense fire exchange, five khwarij were sent to hell by the security forces. However, in desperation, Khwarij rammed the explosive-laden vehicle into one of the vehicles of the leading group,” it further said.
Resultantly, Lt Colonel Shahzada Gul Faraz (age: 43 years, resident of District Mansehra), a brave commanding officer renowned for his daring actions, who was leading his troops from the front, embraced shahadat along with Sepoy Karamat Shah (age: 28 years, resident of District Peshawar).
“Khwarij are continuing with 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 news release said.
The Afghan Taliban regime has yet again failed to stop the Khwarij from using Afghan soil for terrorist activities inside Pakistan, that, too, in the holy month of Ramazan. Pakistan will not exercise any restrain and operations will continue against the perpetrators of this heinous and cowardly act for justified retribution against Khwarij, irrespective of their location.
“Counterterrorism campaign under vision “Azm-e-Istehkam” (as approved by the Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by Security Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further reinforce our unwavering commitment of safeguarding our nation at all costs,” the news release said.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the terrorist attack.
The president and the prime minister expressed their deep sorrow and grief over the martyrdom of Lieutenant Colonel Shahzada Gul Faraz and Sepoy Karamat Shah.
The president said that the great sacrifices of their martyrs were a national asset, President’s Secretariat Media Wing said in a press release.
The president and the prime minister conveyed their heartfelt condolences to the families of the martyrs and prayed for the elevation of their ranks in Jannah and for grant of patience and strength to the bereaved families.
The president also reaffirmed the resolve 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 terrorists who violated the sanctity of the holy month of Ramazan had no connection with Islam.
The prime minister commended the security forces for foiling the nefarious designs of Fitna al-Khwarij by eliminating five terrorists during the operation, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.
He further observed that act of terrorism carried out by Fitna al-Khawarij, during the blessed month of Ramazan, was proof that terrorists had no religion.
The prime minister said that the security forces acted swiftly, saving the city from major destruction, adding that under the vision of Azm-e-Istehkam, the security forces were achieving major successes in the fight against terrorism.
He further said the entire nation stood with Pakistan’s 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.
