A major-ranked officer was among five soldiers martyred during an area sanitisation operation in Balochistan\u2019s Barkham district, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
At least seven terrorists were also killed during the operation.<\/p>\n
According to a statement by the military\u2019s media wing, the operation, carried out by the Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps Balochistan, took place in Barkham district\u2019s Nosham area and targeted members of Fitna al Hindustan<\/em> \u2014 a term used by the state to designate terrorist organisations in Balo\u00adchistan.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring the operation, a group of terrorists was located and engaged by troops. During [the] fire exchange, seven terrorists of Indian-backed Fitna al Hindustan<\/em> were sent to hell,\u201d ISPR said, adding that weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the killed terrorists.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, during intense fire exchange, five brave sons of soil, including a field officer, met the ultimate sacrifice and embraced shahadat<\/em> (martyrdom),\u201d ISPR added.<\/p>\n The martyred personnel were identified as Major Tauseef Ahmed Bhatti, 31, from Pakpattan; Naik Fida Hussain, 36, from Sukkur; Sepoy Zakir Hussain, 32, from Skardu; Sepoy Suhail Ahmed, 21, from Khanewal; and Sepoy Muhammad Ayaz, 24, from Rahim Yar Khan.<\/p>\n \u201cSanitisation operations in the surroundings continue to eliminate any other Indian sponsored terrorists present in the area,\u201d the statement adds.<\/p>\n \u201c[The] relentless counter-terrorism campaign under vision \u2018Azm-i-Istehkam<\/em>\u2019 (as approved by Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out [the] menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,\u201d ISPR concludes.<\/p>\n In March, at least 15 terrorists<\/a> were killed in Harnai and Basima districts of Balochistan during two separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs).<\/p>\n Earlier in February, security sources killed 10 terrorists<\/a> during an operation in Balochistan\u2019s Zhob.<\/p>\n