A soldier was martyred in exchange of fire with militants in the general area of Ladha, South Waziristan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday, the military’s media wing said in a statement.

“Own troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location,” the Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement. “However, during an intense exchange of fire, Lance Naik Muhammad Sabir (age 30 years, resident of District Mansehra) having fought gallantly, embraced shahadat.”

Pakistan has been battling with the rise in militancy since the outlawed TTP group ended the shaky ceasefire agreed with the government. After the Peshawar mosque blast, the Apex Committee decided to root out terrorism from the country.

The statement added that the sanitization of the area was being carried out to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area.

“Armed Forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” it said.

On Saturday, two soldiers were martyred, and many terrorists were killed during an exchange of fire in the Janikhel area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district.