Soldier, four militants killed in armed operation in northwest Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: A sepoy was killed in an intelligence-based operation in the northwest of Pakistan, the military said on Thursday, as it battles a spike in militant attacks.
In recent months, the military has launched frequent operations in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan. The army’s target in the area are militants it says launch attacks inside Pakistan and against the army using safe havens in Afghanistan. The Taliban government in Kabul says it does not allow its territory to be used by insurgents against other countries.
Groups like the Pakistani Taliban, commonly known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have been waging a war against the Pakistani state for nearly two decades in a bid to overthrow the government and replace it with what they consider an Islamic system of governance.
In the latest operation, the army’s media wing said security forces had conducted an intelligence-based operation in general area Maddi in the Dera Ismail Khan district on Apr. 16, killing four militants.
“However, during intense fire exchange, one brave son of soil, Sepoy Basit Siddique (age: 23 years, resident of District Attock), having fought gallantly, paid the ultimate sacrifice and embraced shahadat [martyrdom],” the army’s statement said. 
Militants have intensified their attacks since revoking a ceasefire with the government in late 2022, with recent months witnessing significant strikes targeting the military and its bases.