PM, Field Marshal Attend Funeral of Nushki MartyrsPakistan

According to ISPR, Major Umar Nasir Minhas and Havildar Muhammad Adnan Khan embraced martyrdom on November 14 near Nushki district. The ISPR statement said the martyrs would be laid to rest in their respective hometowns with full military honours.

The two soldiers were killed when militants targeted military vehicles on patrol with armed quadcopters on November 14, ISPR said. Major Minhas was a resident of Chakwal district, while Havildar Khan belonged to Kotli Sattian.

The attack came during intelligence-based operations that security forces have been conducting since November 13 around Kolpur, Kardagap and Nushki, including area domination and patrolling of the Quetta-Taftan National Highway (N-40) to keep it secure for local traffic, according to ISPR.

During the night of November 13 and 14, security forces killed eight terrorists, including a suicide bomber, in an operation in the Kolpur area and recovered a large cache of weapons and ammunition, ISPR said. The military described the attackers as Indian-sponsored terrorists.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to the martyred soldiers and commended the security forces for the successful operations, pledging that the campaign against foreign-backed militancy would continue. President Asif Ali Zardari also paid tribute to the martyrs and expressed condolences to their families, according to reports.

The Pakistan Armed Forces and the entire nation paid tribute to the supreme sacrifice of the martyrs, the ISPR statement said, adding that their bravery, dedication to duty and unwavering commitment to the motherland were a source of pride.

ISPR said clearance operations in the area would continue until the threat was completely neutralised, and that counterterrorism operations would continue at full pace under the Azm-e-Istehkam vision in line with the National Action Plan.