BAJAUR: Three security personnel were martyred and five militants were killed in an exc­h­ange of fire along the Pak-Afghan border in Bajaur district on Sunday night while a Frontier Corps man was martyred in a clash with Afghan forces at the Gaznali border check post near the Noshki area of Balochistan.

A statement issued by Inter-Services Public Rel­a­tions (ISPR), the media wing of Pakistan military, said that the security for­ces engaged a group of militants who was trying to infiltrate Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the Bajaur area.

The troops effectively engaged and thwarted the militants’ attempt to infiltrate and an exch­ange of fire took place, the statement said.

The statement further said that five militants were killed in the clash on the Pak-Afghan border while four others were injured.

“However, during intense exchange of fire, three brave sons of soil: 36-year-old Naik Inayat Khan from district Khyber), 35-year-old Lance Naik Umer Hayat from district Mansehra) and 25-year-old Sepoy Waqar Khan from district Peshawar, having fought gallantly, embraced Shahadat,” the statement said.

It further said that Pakistan has consistently been asking the interim Afghan government to ensure effective border management on its side of the border, adding that the interim Afghan government is expected to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of the Afghan soil by the militants for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.

The statement said that Pakistani security forces are committed to securing its borders and such sacrifices of the brave soldiers further strengthen the security forces’ resolve. In another incident in Dera Ismail Khan, sources said that the security forces killed four militants in an operation carried out in Krri Malang area of Tehsil Kulachi on Monday.

The sources said that the operation was carried out on reported presence of militants in the area, adding that an exchange of fire took place between security forces and militants which left four militants killed.

They said that two of them were later identified as Irfan and Zeeshan.

Security forces also recovered a huge quantity of sophisticated weapons and hand grenades from possession of the militants who were killed in the operation, the sources said, adding that the militants killed by security forces were wanted in several cases including attacks on security personnel and bank vans.

No official statement was issued by ISPR on the exchange of fire in Dera Ismail Khan till filing of this report late in the night.