Eight militants killed, six Pakistani soldiers martyred in clash in Hangu, army says
By The South Asia Times
ISLAMABAD - Eight militants were killed and six Pakistani soldiers, including two junior officers, martyred in a clash in northwestern Pakistan’s Hangu district, the military said on Sunday.
According to a statement from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), an exchange of fire took place on September 20 between security forces and militants during the movement of a security forces convoy in Hangu.
The military said eight militants it identified as members of “Fitna-Al-Khwarij” were killed during the engagement. Pakistani authorities use the term “Khwarij” for militants, particularly those associated with the Pakistani Taliban.
The statement described the militants as being “Indian-sponsored,” but provided no evidence in the statement to substantiate the allegation.
Two officers, Captain Abuzar Farooq, 23, from Gujranwala district, and Lieutenant Sheraz Babar, 22, from Chakwal district, were martyred along with four other soldiers, according to the ISPR.
Security forces were conducting a sanitization operation in the area to search for any remaining militants, the military said.
The incident comes amid continued militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan. Pakistan has repeatedly accused militants based in Afghanistan of carrying out attacks inside Pakistan, an allegation the Afghan Taliban authorities have rejected.
The military said its counterterrorism campaign under the government’s “Azm-e-Istehkam” initiative would continue across the country.
