Lt Col, Major among 11 Pak soldiers killed in clashes with Taliban militants

At least 11 military personnel, including a Lt Colonel and a Major, were killed in clashes with the Taliban militants during an intelligence-based operation in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan, the army said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) — the media wing of the military — said 19 terrorists of the ‘Fitna al-Khawarij’ were also killed during the operation in Orakzai district on Tuesday night. The Pakistan government notified the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as “Fitna al-Khawarij”, a reference to a group in earlier Islamic history that was involved in violence.

The intelligence-based operation was conducted by the security forces on the reported presence of terrorists belonging to “Fitna al-Khawarij” on the intervening night of October 7-8, the ISPR statement said.

During the “intense” exchange of fire between security forces and the militants, 19 terrorists “were sent to hell”, the statement said.

It said 39-year-old Lt Col Junaid Tariq, who was leading his troops from the front, and his second-in-command, 33-year-old Major Tayyab Rahat, were killed along with nine of their men.

A sanitisation operation was being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists in the area, the statement added.