Thirteen soldiers were martyred and three civilians wounded, including two children and a woman, in a suicide bomb targeting a convoy for security forces in the MIR Ali area of North Waziristan, the military’s media wing said on Saturday.
According to a statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the attack was carried out by an explosive vehicle that hit the convoy’s leading vehicle after an initial suicide bomber was captured.
The military said the attack was planned and orchestrated by India and executed by “its proxy terrorists.”
In the wake of the attack, security forces launched a sanitization operation in the area. “During the subsequent exchange of fire, 14 terrorists were killed,” the statement states, adding that the operation was still underway to eliminate remaining threats.
Read more: Four Services Martyred in Waziristan
The soldiers who lost their lives in the duty line were identified as Subedar Zahid Iqbal (45, Karak), Havildar Sohrab Khan (39, Naseerabad), Havildar Mian Yousaf (41, Buner), Naik Khitab Shah (34, Lower Dir), Lance Naik Ismail Mirpur Khas), Seymad Ramzan (33, Dera Ghazi Khan), Sepoy Nawab (30, Quetta), Sepoy Zubair Ahmed (24, Naseerabad), Sepoy Muhammad Sahki (31, Dera Ghazi Khan), Sepoy Hashim Abbasi (20, Abbottab), Sepoy Muddasir Ejaz (25, Layyah) Manzar Ali (23, Marran).
The military stated that the wounded civilians were given immediate medical assistance and further updates about their condition would follow.
“The security forces in Pakistan, along with the nation, remain resolute in their willingness to eliminate terrorism from the country,” said ISPR, adding that the soldiers’ and civilian victims “further reinforce our unwavering obligation to protect the nation at all costs.”
