• Uzair Malik fought bravely, sent 4 Khawarij to hell.
• Young officer got badly wounded in exchange of fire.
• ISPR says security forces determined to eliminate terror.

RAWALPINDI: A young Pakistan Army officer embraced martyrdom at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Peshawar, succumbing to wounds sustained in a fierce gunfight with Khawarij insurgents in Tirah Valley of Khyber District, the military’s media wing reported on Sunday.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said 24-year-old Lieutenant Uzair Mehmood Malik, a resident of district Attock, was under intensive medical treatment at the CMH .

The ISPR said the fire exchange took place between security forces and "Khawarij" at three different locations in Tirah Valley.

“At one of the locations in Bagh, Lieutenant Uzair Mehmood Malik, leading his troops from the front, fought bravely and sent four Khawarij to hell. However, during intense fire exchange, the officer got critically injured,” it said.

“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,” it added.

The military’s media affairs wing said on August 9 that three Pakistan Army soldiers embraced martyrdom during shootouts with terrorists at three different locations in Tirah Valley.

According to the ISPR, the fire exchange had taken place at three different locations in Tirah Valley.

During the intense fire exchange, three brave soldiers — Havildar Inam Gul, 37, resident of District Mianwali; Sepoy Muhammad Imran, 29, resident of District Tank and Sepoy Iltaf Khan, 22, resident of District Mardan, — having fought gallantly embraced Shahadat, the ISPR had said.

Following the Taliban's rise to power in Afghanistan in 2021, Pakistan has experienced a tidal wave of terrorist attacks on security forces, particularly in provinces bordering the neighbouring country, with militants employing advanced weaponry and equipment.

With a surge in counterterrorism operations by security forces, the frequency of violent incidents has decreased in recent months.

According to the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), Annual Security report, during the second quarter of the current year, Pakistan witnessed 380 violence-linked fatalities and 220 injuries among civilians, security personnel, and outlaws.

The report stated that these casualties resulted from as many as 240 incidents involving terror attacks and counter-terror operations.

Against this backdrop, the federal cabinet approved Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, a reinvigorated national counterterrorism campaign following the Central Apex Committee's recommendations under the National Action Plan to root out terrorism.