Pakistan Army foils major terror bid in Orakzai as fierce exchange leaves 19 Indian-backed militants dead; Lt Col Junaid Arif and Major Tayyab Rahat among martyrs.
Two Pakistan Army officers and nine soldiers embraced martyrdom during a major intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Orakzai district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the night between October 7 and 8, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), confirmed on Wednesday.
According to the ISPR statement, 19 Indian-sponsored terrorists affiliated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)were killed during the intense exchange of fire in the Jamal Mela area of Orakzai. The operation, launched after credible intelligence reports, aimed to neutralize a group of militants involved in cross-border terrorism and recent attacks on security forces.
The ISPR said the troops, led from the front by Lieutenant Colonel Junaid Arif (39, resident of Rawalpindi) and Major Tayyab Rahat (33, resident of Rawalpindi), fought valiantly before embracing martyrdom.
The statement identified the other nine soldiers who laid down their lives as:
Naib Subedar Azam Gul (38, Khyber), Naik Adil Hussain (35, Kurram), Naik Gul Ameer (34, Tank), Lance Naik Sher Khan (31, Mardan), Lance Naik Talish Faraz (32, Mansehra), Lance Naik Irshad Hussain (32, Kurram), Sepoy Tufail Khan (28, Malakand), Sepoy Aqib Ali (23, Swabi), and Sepoy Muhammad Zahid (24, Tank).
Official sources said two militant commanders — including a notorious fighter known as Shaheen — were among those killed, while six others sustained injuries. Security forces have cordoned off the area, with Orakzai Scouts of the Frontier Corps leading follow-up clearance operations.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to the martyred soldiers, saying, “The government is determined to completely eradicate the monster of terrorism from the country. We will not allow any element to harm Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also lauded the courage of the armed forces, saying that “the great sacrifices of the martyrs will never be forgotten.”
The military reaffirmed that such sacrifices strengthen the nation’s resolve to eliminate terrorism in all its forms, vowing to pursue those responsible “till the last militant is neutralized.”
