Eight soldiers martyred as security forces effectively thwarts Bannu Cantt terrorist attack

BANNU: At least eight soldiers embraced martyrdom as armed forces effectively foiled a terrorist attack at Bannu Cantonment as a result all ten terrorists were killed, the military’s media wing said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), in the early hours of July 15 (Monday), a group of ten terrorists attacked Bannu Cantonment in an attempt to enter the cantonment, which was effectively thwarted by the security forces personnel.

After the failure to enter Cantt premises, the terrorists from the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group of TTP rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall of the cantonment. The suicide blast led to the collapse of a portion of the wall and damaged the adjoining infrastructure, the statement added.

The suicide blast also resulted in the shahadat of eight security personnel including Naib Subedar Muhammad Shehzad (age: 44 years, resident of: District Poonch, AJK), Havildar Zil-e-Hussain (age: 39 years, resident of: District Khushab), Havildar Shahzad Ahmed (age: 28 years, resident of: District Neelum, AJK), and Sepoy Ashfaq Hussain Khan (age: 30 years, resident of: District Muzzafarabad, AJK).

Sepoy Sobhan Majeed (age: 22 years, resident of: District Muzzafarabad, AJK), Sepoy Imtiaz Khan (age: 30 years, resident of: District Karak), Sepoy Arsalan Aslam (age: 26 years, resident of: District Bahawalpur) of Pakistan Army and Lance Naik Sabz Ali (age: 34 years, resident of: Lakki Marwat) of Frontier Constabulary embraced martyrdom.

Pakistan Army troops effectively engaged the terrorists as a result all ten terrorists were sent to hell. According to the ISPR, the militants belonged to the banned Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, which operates from Afghanistan and has used Afghan soil to orchestrate acts of terrorism inside Pakistan in the past as well.

Pakistan has consistently raised its concerns with the Interim Afghan Government, asking them to deny the persistent use of Afghan soil by the terrorists and take effective action against such elements, the statement reads.