COAS Munir reaffirms nation's resolve to fight terrorism

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Asim Munir on Monday reaffirmed the nation’s resolve to fight terrorism with full vigor and spirit, ARY News reported quoting military’s media wing.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief expressed this resolve after attending the funeral prayer of martyred soldiers in Peshawar.

COAS Asim Munir reached Peshawar today and offered funeral prayer of Sepoy Taimoor Shaheed, Sepoy Nadir Sagheer Shaheed, Sepoy Muhammad Yaseen Shaheed, Lance Naik Syed Danish Afkar Shaheed and Naik Ashfaq Butt Shaheed, who embraced martyrdom during an intense exchange of fire with terrorists at Bagh area of Khyber district.

A large number of military and civil officials also attended the funeral.

The army chief also visited Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Peshawar to inquire about the well-being of troops injured during the operation and appreciated their high morale.

Martyrs will be laid to rest with full military honor at their respective native towns.

Earlier in the day, ISPR reported that seventeen terrorists were killed and another two were injured in two separate operations conducted by security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

In a press release, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that in an operation conducted in Tank District on Monday, “own troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, as a result of which ten terrorists were killed”.

Another engagement occurred in the “general area [of] Bagh, Khyber District, wherein the security forces killed seven terrorists while two terrorists were injured”, the ISPR said.

However, “during the intense exchange of fire, five brave soldiers” — Naik Muhammad Ashfaq Butt, 32, resident of district Kahuta; Lance Naik Syed Danish Afkar, 30, resident of district Poonch; Sepoy Taimoor Malik, 32, resident of district Layyah; Sepoy Nadir Sageer, 22, resident of district Bagh; and Sepoy Muhammad Yasin, 23, resident of district Khushab — “having fought gallantly, embraced martyrdom”.

“A large quantity of weapons, ammunition and explosives was also recovered from the killed terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against the security forces as well as the innocent civilians,” the statement said.