Two soldiers martyred, 16 militants killed in North Waziristan operations

Security forces killed 16 militants, including two Afghan nationals, in operations in Pakistan's North Waziristan district, while two soldiers were martyred in exchanges of fire, the military said on Saturday.

What happened in the North Waziristan operations?

The military said security forces targeted suspected militant hideouts in Ali Khel, Mir Ali and Datta Khel over a 12-hour period. Twelve militants, including two Afghan nationals, were reported killed in Ali Khel, while two others were killed in each of the other two locations.

According to the military's media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), weapons and ammunition were recovered from the sites. It alleged that the militants were involved in several attacks, including those that killed civilians, and described them as members of what it calls "Fitna al-Khwarij".

The military also said that the militant groups were backed by India.

Two soldiers were martyred during the engagements. They were identified as Havildar Asmat Ali, 43, from Swabi district, and Naik Aftab Ali, 32, from Mardan district.

Are security operations continuing in North Waziristan?

Security forces were conducting clearance operations to locate and eliminate any remaining militants in the area, the ISPR said.

The military said counterterrorism operations would continue under the government's "Azm-e-Istehkam" framework, approved by the Federal Apex Committee under the National Action Plan.

The initiative aims to strengthen efforts against militancy and address the threat of foreign-sponsored terrorism, according to the military.

The ISPR said the deaths of the two soldiers had reinforced the resolve of security forces and law enforcement agencies to combat terrorism.