Voice 9, International Desk: A suicide strike on a military convoy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Bannu district resulted in the deaths of nine Pakistani troops and the injuries of five more. An Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) release claimed that a "motorcycle-borne suicide bomber exploded himself on a military convoy."
According to the ISPR, which was quoted by the Pakistani English-language newspaper Dawn, "as a result, nine soldiers, among them Naib Subedar Sanobar Ali, embraced shahadat, while five soldiers were injured."
The military has never witnessed such a high number of terrorist attack-related deaths in a single day. Prior to that, 10 troops lost their lives in a "fire raid" in Balochistan's Kech region in February 2022.
Research from the think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, released in July, claims that the nation experienced an alarming increase in terror and suicide attacks in the first half of this year, which resulted in the deaths of 389 people.
The ISPR said that security personnel had cordoned off the area and were taking efforts to get rid of the terrorists. "The security forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism, and the sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve," the statement added.
Condemning the attack, Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar has expressed grief over the deaths of the soldiers.
"Heartbroken by the loss of nine valiant soldiers in Bannu Division, KP, to a cowardly terrorist act that injured many," Kakar posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Since the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) ceasefire with the government ended last November, Pakistan has seen an increase in terrorist activity, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, as reported by Dawn.
Six soldiers were killed on August 22 during a gun battle in the South Waziristan district, according to information released last week by the military’s media wing.
During separate military operations in the Balochistan areas of Zhob and Sui, as many as 12 Pakistani Army troops were killed.
Photo: ANI
