Seven soldiers, including a captain, were martyred in a terrorist attack on security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district on Sunday, the military’s media wing said.

In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations said that an improvised explosive device exploded on the security forces vehicle in the country’s northwest province.

The martyrs of the attack include Captain Muhammad Faraz Ilyas, 26, a Kasur resident; Subedar Major Muhammad Nazir, 50, a Skardu resident; Lance Naik Muhammad Anwar, 34, a Ghanchi resident; Lance Naik Hussain Ali, 36, a Ghizer resident; Sepoy Asad Ullah, 33, a Multan resident; Sepoy Manzoor Hussain, 27, a Gilgit resident; Sepoy Rashid Mehmood, 31, a Rawalpindi resident.

Sanitization of the area was being carried out to eliminate any terrorists present in the area, the military’s media wing said and vowed to bring perpetrators of the “heinous act” to justice.

“Security forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” the ISPR said.

Lakki Marwat and neighbouring Bannu district have been the hotspots in the northwest province after a rise in terrorist activities in Pakistan. In 2022, the Counter-Terrorism Department centre in Bannu was cleared after a four-day siege where militants took law enforcers hostage at the facility.

On Thursday, a CTD member was martyred and a militant was killed in two separate incidents in Lakki Marwat and Bannu.

Five army soldiers were martyred in an exchange of fire with terrorists during an operation in the general area of Bagh in Khyber district on May 27. Seven terrorists were killed while two others were wounded in the operation.

They were martyred a day after an army captain and a soldier were martyred in the Hassan Khel operation on May 26.

Pakistan has long maintained that Afghan soil was being used against Pakistan, demanding interim Taliban government take action against outlawed groups in the country.

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“TTP terrorists are continuously committing acts of terrorism in Pakistan,” ISPR Director General Major General Ahmed Sharif told a press conference on May 7.

He added that there was “concrete evidence” to support such claims. The Foreign Office has registered 12 protests and the army chief has taken a clear stance that Pakistan has its “reservations on the hideouts” of banned outfits in Afghanistan.

“Pakistan will leave no stone unturned to eradicate terror networks and provide protection to its citizens at all costs,” the ISPR DG had said.