2 soldiers killed in Pakistan anti-terror operation

At least two soldiers were killed on Saturday in an anti-terror operation in the tribal area of northwestern Pakistan, the Army said.

Six insurgents were also reportedly killed in the operation, Pakistan's Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

"After exchange of heavy fire, six terrorists were (...) killed. During exchange of fire, Havaldar Razzaq Khan and Havaldar Mumtaz Hussain embraced Shahadat (died)," the statement said.

It added that the operation was carried out in a village in South Waziristan after the security forces were tipped off about the presence of insurgents in the region.

Weapons, ammunition and communication equipments were confiscated, according to the ISPR statement.

Pakistan had launched a massive anti-terror operation in the northwestern areas of the country in June 2014, in which 3,500 suspected terrorists were killed, according to unverified data provided by the Pakistani military.

In February 2017, the Army launched another anti-terror operation after a series of attacks. Later in the year, it launched yet another operation against the Islamic State terror group in areas bordering Afghanistan.

In 2017, 1,260 people were killed in terrorist attacks in Pakistan, its lowest figure in a decade, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, which tracks terror-related violence in the region.

--IANS

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