President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday strongly condemned the suicide attack on security forces in North Waziristan, terming it a cowardly act sponsored by external forces aiming to destabilise the country.
In their separate statements, the president and the prime minister paid tribute to the 13 soldiers martyred during the operation and praised the security forces for eliminating 14 terrorists in the ensuing exchange of fire while offering prayers for the elevation of the ranks of the martyrs and expressed sympathies with the bereaved families.
Both leaders also wished a swift recovery for the three civilians – including two children and a woman – who were injured in the attack.
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President Zardari said the Pakistani nation and its armed forces were determined to uproot terrorism, particularly the “Indian-sponsored” networks operating in the region.
He stressed that the sacrifices of the martyrs would never be forgotten and that national resilience would prevail over all attempts to destabilise the country.
Prime Minister Sharif, in his statement, said the nation saluted the martyred personnel and stood united in its resolve to eliminate terrorism in all its forms. He reiterated that such cowardly acts would not shake Pakistan’s commitment to peace and security.
The coordinated attack occurred early Saturday morning in Dandi Dir Dawani village of Mir Ali tehsil, where a suicide bomber targeted a military convoy.
According to sources, the incident took place at 7:45am during curfew hours imposed due to troop movements.
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The Inter-Services Public Relations, in a statement, confirmed the loss of 13 servicemen and injuries to three civilians in the suicide attack. The military’s media wing said the bomber’s vehicle was intercepted by the lead group in the convoy, but the attackers managed to detonate the explosives, resulting in significant casualties.
Following the blast, a sanitisation operation was launched in the area. In a separate statement, the ISPR said 14 terrorists were killed in the ensuing exchange of fire. The operation was still ongoing to clear the area of any remaining threats, it added.
A relatively lesser-known militant outfit, Aswadul Harb, claimed responsibility for the attack and identified the suicide bomber as a man named Abdullah. The group is reportedly linked to the Hafiz Gul Bahadur network, a faction aligned with the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), believed to be operating from safe havens in Afghanistan’s eastern Khost province.
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Army chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir paid tribute to the fallen soldiers and vowed to unmask what he called the “true perpetrator of terrorism in the region.”
He praised the courage and professionalism of the troops involved in the operation, stating that the armed forces “continue to confront and neutralise the Indian-sponsored Fitna al-Khawarij with exemplary valour.”
“The people of Pakistan stand united in their resolve to eradicate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations until the threat is decisively eliminated from the country,” the ISPR quoted the army chief as saying.
