“Gentleman Cadet Arif Ullah [under training at Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul & on leave at his hometown], was also present there, offering prayers in the same mosque,” the Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement.

Terrorists attacked the mosque during maghrib prayers. In August, the government labelled the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan as Fitna al Khawarij.

The statement said that Arif “fought bravely” when terrorists started firing, however, the 19-year-old cadet “embraced Shahadat sacrificing his life while saving many innocent lives of worshippers.”

It added: “Such heinous and cowardly act of attacking worshippers in the mosque while praying reflects the true ideology of these Khwarij.”

Such “valiant act of a young gentleman cadet is a testament of spirit of sacrifice and dedication of security forces’ personnel to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the country and such sacrifices further strengthen our resolve.”

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An annual security report from the Centre for Research and Security Studies reveals that Pakistan experienced a troubling rise in violence in 2023, with 1,524 fatalities and 1,463 injuries resulting from 789 terror attacks and counter-terror operations. This marks the highest number of violence-related deaths in six years.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan emerged as the main hotspots for violence, accounting for over 90% of all fatalities and 84% of the recorded attacks, which included both terrorist incidents and operations by security forces.