Three soldiers were martyred in an exchange of fire with Khwarij at three different locations in the Tirah Valley of Khyber district on Friday, the military’s media wing said.

The martyred soldiers were Havildar Inam Gul, 37, a Mianwali district resident, Sepoy Muhammad Imran, 29, a Tank district resident, and Sepoy Iltaf Khan, 22, a Mardan district resident.

In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations said that four Khwarij, formerly called banned TTP, were killed.

“Sanitisation operation is being conducted to eliminate any other Kharji found in the area as security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” it said.