As many as seven Frontier Corps (FC) personnel have been martyred and 13 others wounded during a search and strike operation against militants in Lower Dir’s Sar Banda area of Maidan on Thursday.
Citing official sources, a leading English daily reports that one FC soldier was also reported missing following a fierce gun battle with militants in the mountainous terrain within the jurisdiction of Lal Qila police station. The militants had taken positions and opened fire on a security convoy.
The injured were taken to Lal Qila Hospital and later shifted to District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) Timergara.
According to police officials, a heavy contingent of police, including the Elite Force and Dir Scouts, remained in the area as the operation continued. Security forces also claimed to have inflicted “significant losses” on the militants, though no details were immediately provided.
Lal Qila was once a stronghold of the proscribed Tehreek-i-Nifaz-i-Shariat-i-Muhammadi (TNSM), led by Maulana Sufi Muhammad. Sufi Muhammad’s son-in-law, Mullah Fazlullah, became the head of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and fled to Afghanistan during the 2009 military operation in Malakand and was later killed in an air strike in Afghanistan.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif commended the security forces for the successful operations. In their statements, both leaders lauded the bravery and professionalism of the troops in eliminating 19 militants.
“Pakistan is determined to eliminate Indian-sponsored terrorism,” President Zardari said, reaffirming the nation’s resolve to completely eradicate terrorism and praying for the safety and success of the security forces.
The premier also commended the security forces for successful operations in Mohmand, North Waziristan and Bannu, reiterating that the war against terrorism would continue until its complete elimination from the country.