Five soldiers killed in bomb explosion in East Pakistan

June 22 (EUROPA PRESS) –

Five members of the Pakistani Army have died in a bomb attack carried out this Friday in the Kurram district, in the Pakistani province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhua, in the east of the country.

The Pakistani Armed Forces reported this Saturday in a statement that an improvised explosive device was detonated when a military vehicle passed by in the Sadda area.

Among the deceased are Havildar Aqeel Ahmed, 33; Naik Muhammad Tafir, 30 years old; Anosh Rufun, 24 years old; Muhammad Azam Jan, 26, and Haroon William, 30. All of them “have made the definitive sacrifice and have embraced martyrdom.”

The military statement highlights that a clearing operation has been launched in search of “terrorists” and has stressed that those responsible for this “hateful act” will be brought to justice.

“Pakistan’s security forces are determined to eliminate the threat of terrorism and the sacrifices of our brave soldiers only strengthen our determination,” he warned.

The province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the usual scene of attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, launched from their hideouts on the porous border with Afghanistan. The group, which differs from the Afghan Taliban in organizational matters but follows the same rigorous interpretation of Sunni Islam, is blamed for more than 70,000 deaths in two decades of violence.