Two army personnel were martyred as security forces conducted an operation in a rural area of Peshawar, killing five terrorists, said Inter-Service Public Relation (ISPR) on Sunday.

Three terrorists were injured during the intelligence-based raid which targeted their hideout in Hassan Khel – an administrative subdivision bordering Nowshera district in the east/northeast and Kohat in south. It is located 48 kilometres from Peshawar.

According to the military’s media wing, the gunfight also claimed the life of Capt Hussain Jahangir who was leading the team.

The martyred officer was 25 and belonged to Rahim Yar Khan – the southernmost district of Punjab. He is survived by parents and siblings.

On the other hand, Hawaldar Shafiqullah, 38, was from Karak – one of the districts in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He served the army for 18 years and has left behind his wife and children.

A sensitisation operation was in progress in the area so that it could be those assisting the terrorists or their associates could be captured of eliminated.

The ISPR assured the nation that the military was determined to root out the scourge of terrorism from Pakistan and such sacrifices further strengthen the morale of armed forces members.

Pakistan has been witnessing a surge in terrorism ever since the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August 2021, a development that produced even more disastrous effects after the then PTI government in Islamabad decided to hold talks with the TTP and allowed its members to resettle in erstwhile FATA and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Despite the repeated demand made by Islamabad to stop the terrorist organisations operating from Afghanistan, the Taliban authorities have failed to control the situation, resulting in regular cross-border attacks and movement.