Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has paid tribute to the Pakistan Army officials, including Brigadier Mustafa Kamal Barki, who embraced martyrdom while fighting against terrorists in Dera Ismail Khan and Angoor Adda area of South Waziristan.
In a statement, he said the whole nation stands by their brave armed forces.
The Prime Minister prayed to Allah Almighty to elevate the ranks of the martyrs in paradise and grant strength to the bereaved families to bear this loss with fortitude.
Five security personnel, including a senior military officer, were martyred in separate attacks in South Waziristan and Dera Ismail Khan on Tuesday.
According to an ISPR statement, Brig Mustafa Kamal Barki from Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), while leading the encounter from the front, embraced martyrdom and seven soldiers got injuries, two of them critical, in South Waziristan.
The ISPR said Brig Barki and his team put up a valiant resistance against the terrorists during an encounter and the officer sacrificed his life for peace of the motherland. The defence forces and intelligence agencies pledge to reaffirm and demonstrate firm resolve to eliminate the menace of terrorism from every inch of the country, the statement said.
Earlier in another encounter, security officials killed three terrorists before embracing martyrdom in Dera Ismail Khan, officials said.
According to ISPR, terrorists opened fire on a police checkpoint in general area of Khutti on the night of March 20 and 21. Security forces immediately cordoned the area, blocking all possible escape routes, and intercepted fleeing terrorists in the general area of Saggu. After an intense exchange of fire, three terrorists were eliminated and weapons and ammunition were seized from their custody.
During the exchange of fire, Havaldar Mohammad Azhar Iqbal, 42, resident of Lodhran; Naik Mohammad Asad, 34, resident of Khanewal; and Sepoy Mohammad Essa, 22, resident of South Waziristan, having fought gallantly, embraced martyrdom. A police official who sustained injuries was shifted to D.I. Khan hospital.
