RAWALPINDI, Sunday, September 20, 2026: Six security personnel, including two young officers, were martyred while eight militants were killed in an intense exchange of fire in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hangu district, the military’s media wing said on Sunday.
According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the clash erupted between a security forces convoy and militants in Hangu on September 20.
Security forces responded to the attack and killed eight militants during the engagement, ISPR said.
The military identified two of the martyred officers as 23-year-old Captain Abuzar Farooq, a resident of Gujranwala district, and 22-year-old Lieutenant Sheraz Babar, who belonged to Chakwal district.
ISPR said both officers were leading their troops from the front during the intense exchange of fire and embraced martyrdom along with four other personnel.
The military described the militants as members of the Indian-sponsored Fitna al-Khawarij, the term used by the state for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
A sanitisation operation was launched in the area following the clash to search for and eliminate any other militants who may be present, ISPR said.
The military reiterated that counterterrorism operations under the Azm-e-Istehkam framework would continue against militant networks across the country.
ISPR said the sacrifices of security personnel reinforced the armed forces’ commitment to safeguarding Pakistan and eliminating what it described as foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism.
The latest clash comes amid heightened security concerns in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where security forces and law enforcement agencies have faced a series of militant attacks in recent days.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also paid tribute to the martyred officers and other personnel, expressing condolences to their families and reiterating the government’s resolve to continue operations against terrorism.