RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: Two Pakistan Army Soldiers and five civilians embraced martyrdom in an attack by terrorists on a Rural Health Center (RHC) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan District, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
The ISPR said that on the night of July 15/16, 2024, terrorists carried out a cowardly attack on the RHC in Kirri Shamozai area of DI Khan and opened indiscriminate fire on the RHC Staff.
Resultantly, five innocent civilians including two Lady Health Workers, two children and one Watchman embraced Shahadat.
The ISPR said that the security forces in vicinity were immediately mobilized for clearance operation in the RHC and in ensuing fire exchange, own troops effectively engaged the terrorists as a result of which three terrorists were sent to hell.
However, during intense fire exchange, Naib Subedar Muhammad Farooq (age 44 years, resident of District Narowal) and Sepoy Muhammad Javed Iqbal (age 23 years, resident of District Khanewal) paid the ultimate sacrifice and embraced Shahadat.
The ISPR said the sanitization of area is being carried out to eliminate any other terrorist found in the area.
It added that the perpetrators of this heinous and cowardly act targeting innocent civilians, especially women and children, will be brought to justice.
Also in the early hours of Monday, a terrorist attack targeting the Bannu Cantonment martyred eight members of the security forces while a retaliatory operation killed 10 terrorists.
The ISPR said that the Bannu Cantonment attack by terrorists was “effectively thwarted” by security forces personnel, “which forced the terrorists to ram an explosive laden vehicle into perimeter wall of the cantonment.”
Resultantly, the suicide blast caused a portion of a wall to collapse and damaged infrastructure, resulting in the martyrdom of eight security forces, it said.
The ISPR said that the heinous act of terrorism was undertaken by 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.