A soldier was martyred during an exchange of fire between security forces and militants in the Ladha area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s South Waziristan district on Monday, according to a statement issued by the military’s media affairs wing.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said security personnel “effectively engaged the terrorists’ location” during the gunbattle.

However, during “intense” exchange of fire, 30-year-old Lance Naik Muhammad Sabir, a resident of Mansehra district embraced martyrdom after fighting gallantly, the statement added.

Sanitisation of the area was being carried out to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area, the ISPR said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the death of Lance Naik Sabir and prayed for the bereaved family.

He said the entire nation, including him, “pays tribute to this great son of the Pakistan Army for his sacrifice for the country. The Pakistani nation will never forget the supreme sacrifices of their soldiers who laid down their lives for security of the Pakistani nation”.

In an earlier statement, the ISPR said two soldiers were martyred while two militants were killed during an exchange of fire in KP’s North Waziristan district.

“On June 3, fire exchange took place between own troops and terrorists in North Waziristan district,” the statement, issued late on Sunday, read.

It added that the troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location and two militants were “sent to hell” while two were injured.

The ISPR identified the martyred soldiers as Naek Zaheer Abbas, aged 38 and a resident of the Khushab district, and Lance Naik Mairajuddin, aged 23 and a resident of the Dera Ismail Khan district.

The statement said weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the terrorists while “sanitisation” of the area was being carried out to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area.

Both statements said that the “armed forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve”.

Last week, at least four militants were killed in two separate similar incidents in the same district while a soldier protecting a polio team had embraced martyrdom.

On May 27, at least 22 security personnel were injured when a suicide bomber on a motorbike targeted a convoy in Dera Ismail Khan’s Chehkan area.

Additional input from APP