At least four Frontier Corps personnel, including an officer, were martyred in an IED blast in Kurram Agency on Sunday.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations [ISPR], the IED was planted by terrorists near the Pak-Afghan border in Kharlachi.
The troops were part of the search party for handlers of Canadian-American family that was recently freed by the Pakistan Army, the military’s media wing said in a statement.
The army on Thursday had rescued an American woman and her Canadian husband along with their three young children, who were held hostage by militants in Afghanistan for five years.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan [TTP] claimed responsibility for the attack.
The four security personnel who were martyred were identified as Captain Husnain, Sepoy Saeed Baz, Sepoy Qadir and Sepoy Jumma Gul. Injured security personnel were shifted to a local hospital.
Security was put on high alert following the incident while a search operation is underway in the area.
Condemnation
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has expressed deep grief and sorrow over the martyrdom of FC personnel in IED Blast in Kurram Agency.
Sympathising deeply with the bereaved families, the prime minister prayed for eternal peace of the martyred souls, who sacrificed their lives while defending the motherland against evil forces, and grant of courage to the families to bear this irreparable loss with fortitude.
The prime minister also prayed for the swift recovery of the injured FC Personnel.
