Pakistan says senior army officer, soldier killed; five militants dead in northwest operation

A senior army officer and a soldier were killed during an intelligence-based operation in Pakistan's northwest, in which security forces also killed five militants, the army said on Saturday.

In a statement, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, said the operation took place in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where troops were acting on information about the presence of militants, including a suspected suicide bomber.

The army said the suicide attacker was intercepted before reaching his target, preventing what it described as a large-scale attack on civilians and security personnel in Bannu city. An exchange of fire followed, during which five militants were killed, according to the statement.

The military said the attackers then drove an explosives-laden vehicle into a security forces vehicle, killing Lieutenant Colonel Shahzada Gul Faraz, who was commanding the operation, and Sepoy Karamat Shah.

Pakistan’s army paid tribute to the officer, saying he was leading the operation from the front and had previously taken part in multiple counter-terrorism missions.

It said the militants belonged to Fitna al Khwarij, a term Pakistan uses for India-backed militant groups it accuses of carrying out attacks inside the country. It said the groups operate from bases across the border in Afghanistan, a claim repeatedly denied by the Taliban administration.

Islamabad has frequently accused Afghanistan’s rulers of failing to prevent militant groups from using Afghan territory to stage attacks in Pakistan. Kabul says it does not allow its soil to be used against any country.

The army said counter-terrorism operations would continue under a renewed national security campaign approved by Pakistan’s top civilian and military leadership, adding that such attacks would not weaken its resolve to combat militancy.