Seven soldiers, including two officers, lost their lives in a tragic attack by militants on an army post in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan district, Pakistan. The country's Directorate of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed the incident on Saturday.
According to ISPR, the militants infiltrated the security post bordering Afghanistan in a vehicle laden with explosives, initiating a suicide bomb attack. The assault resulted in the deaths of five soldiers, with a part of the building collapsing during the onslaught, as reported by Pakistani media outlet The Dawn.
In response to the attack, Lt. Col. Kashif led an operation targeting the assailants, resulting in the elimination of six terrorists. However, tragically, two additional army officers, Lieutenant Colonel Syed Kashif Ali (39) and Captain Muhammad Ahmed Badr (23), succumbed to the violence.
While the perpetrators of the attack were not officially identified by the military, a newly formed militant group, Jaish-e-Fursan-e-Muhammad, claimed responsibility for the assault.
This incident follows a similar attack in December last year, where Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP) militants targeted an army compound in the Daraban area of Dera Ismail Khan, claiming the lives of 23 soldiers and injuring over 30 others.
Recent operations by security forces in North Waziristan district have resulted in the elimination of 10 militants, according to ISPR data from earlier this month.
Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif have condemned the attack, paying tribute to the martyred soldiers.
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