At least four soldiers have been martyred in two different gun battles with terrorists in North and South Waziristan districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Inter-Services Public Relations said on Thursday.

In a statement, the military’s media wing described the two gun battles with terrorists as “fierce encounters” that were conducted on the night of October 18/19 2023.

The first engagement occurred in the general area of Gharyoum, North Waziristan district. At least six terrorists, including a high-value target and terrorist ringleader Hazrat Zaman alias Khawarey Mullah, were killed, the ISPR said.

The statement added that Khawarey was “actively involved in multiple terrorist activities in the area and was highly wanted” by the law enforcement agencies.

Lance Naik Tabbasum UI Haq, 36, a resident of Rawalpindi, Sepoy Naeem Akhtar, 30, a resident of Attock district, and Sepoy Abdul Hameed, 23, a resident of Multan district, were martyred in the operation.

Sepoy Farman Ali, 25, a resident of Kashmore district, was martyred in another exchange of fire with terrorists in the general area of Asman Manza, South Waziristan district.

Sanitisation was being carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the area.

“Security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” it said.

On October 17, the ISPR reported that two soldiers were martyred in a gun battle with terrorists in North and South Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The martyred soldiers were identified as Sepoy Sajid Azam, 31, a resident of Kotli in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Sepoy Waris Khan, 27, a resident of Karak.