https://arab.news/6vkw8
- Lt. Uzair Mehmood Malik was injured during clashes between Pakistani security forces and militants in Tirah Valley
- Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militancy since the Pakistani Taliban called off a fragile truce with government in 2022
ISLAMABAD: An army officer, who was injured in a gunfight with militants in northwest Pakistan this week, on Sunday succumbed to his injuries at a military-run hospital in Peshawar, the Pakistani military said.
Lt. Uzair Mehmood Malik was injured during clashes between Pakistani security forces and militants in Tirah Valley in the Khyber district of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
The clashes had left four militants and three Pakistani soldiers dead, while Lt. Malik, after having fought bravely, was taken to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Peshawar in a critical condition.
“Today, he succumbed to injuries and embraced Shahadat (martyrdom),” the ISPR said in a statement. “Security Forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the country and such sacrifices of our brave officers and soldiers further strengthen our resolve.”
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant activities since the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, unilaterally called off a fragile ceasefire with the government in November 2022.
Much of TTP’s militant activity has been confined to the country’s western provinces, prompting security officials to launch intelligence-based operations against its fighters who are reportedly armed with sophisticated military equipment, including night vision devices.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari backed the country’s security forces in their fight against militants, following the Tirah clashes.
“The entire nation is standing with its security forces to root out the scourge of terrorism,” Zardari was quoted as saying by the state media.
In a separate statement, PM Sharif praised Pakistan’s security forces for battling militants and vowed the country would not let up in its war against militancy.
“The officers and jawans of armed forces of Pakistan always gave preference to performance of duty over their lives,” he was quoted as saying by the state-run APP news agency.
“War against terrorism would continue till its complete eradication from the country.”