KURRAM: Five security personnel were martyred in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Kurram district on Friday, according to the military’s media wing.

Local officials said a vehicle of security forces was targeted in the hilly Teendo area of central Kurram district.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations, five security personnel namely Havildar Aqeel Ahmed, 33, hailing from Okara; Lance Naik Mohammad Tafeer, 30, from Poonch; Sepoy Anosh Rufun, 24, Attock; Sepoy Mohammad Azam Khan, 26, Haripur; and Sepoy Haroon William, 29, from Islamabad made the ultimate sacrifice and embraced martyrdom.

A sanitisation operation was being carried out to eliminate any terrorists present in the area, it said, adding that perpetrators of the heinous act would be brought to justice.

Security forces were determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve, the statement added.

KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur and Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, in separate statements issued after the incident, condemned the IED attack on security forces vehicle.

In the same Teendo area, six members of family were killed in a blast targeting a vehicle earlier on Sunday.

On the other hand, residents of Kurram protested against the incidents of shootings and blasts, as this was the third IED attack in the district this month.

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2024