At least four Pakistan Army soldiers were martyred in North Waziristan’s Hassan Khel area after an exchange of fire with a group of terrorists who attempted to infiltrate the country, entering from Afghanistan late on March 23, the Inter-Services Public Relations said on Thursday.

“Due to alertness and timely response of own troops, the infiltration attempt was foiled. Terrorists retaliated with fire, which was reciprocated in a befitting manner,” the armed forces' media wing said in a statement.

“The terrorists having failed, fled away and as per intelligence reports, suffered heavy casualties,” it added.

The martyred soldiers were identified as Lance Havaldar Wajahat Alam, 34, a resident of Gilgit Baltistan’s Ghizer area; Sepoy Sajjid lnayat, 25, a Sheikhupura resident; Sepoy Maqbool Hayat, 32, a resident of Ghizer; and Sepoy Sajjid Ali, 22, a resident of GB’s Skardu.

“Pakistan Army is determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” it read.

Pakistan, on several occasions, has demanded that the Afghanistan government ensures that their soil is not used against the country. Moreover, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid has also expressed hope that the interim Afghan government would uphold such a promise as peace talks with the Taliban had ended without any result because they had “unfair demands.”

Despite such terrorist attacks, the government has twice offered the insurgent group an olive branch amid the opposition’s criticism.

Moreover, Thursday’s gun battle incident comes against the backdrop of the Turbat incident. At least seven terrorists, including commanders Hasil Doda and Washdil, were killed during an intelligence-based operation in Turbat’s Gorchop area in Balochistan, a statement from ISPR said on March 8.

In a statement, the armed forces media wing had said that security forces conducted an operation to apprehend “externally sponsored enemies of peace in Balochistan” after receiving information about a terrorists’ hideout in “general area Gorchop”.

“Once the troops started [the] clearance operation in the area, terrorists tried to escape from their camp and opened indiscriminate fire onto security forces,” it read.

The ISPR statement added that seven terrorists were killed in the exchange of fire. “These terrorists were involved in recent firing and attacks on security forces in Makran Division,” it read.