Peshawar, Apr 1: Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed to have killed at least 52 Pakistani soldiers and associates and wounded several others in dozens of ‘operations’ across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces in a span of 5 days.
The biggest attack was carried out in South Waziristan, where 10 soldiers were killed and 5 injured in twin-ambushes in Badr area, according to the TTP spokesman Muhammad Khorasani.
He said a special unit of the TTP first ambushed a military convoy on the Razmak-Wana main road in Momi Karam, destroying vehicles and killing soldiers.
Another military convoy then arrived for help but it too was ambushed by the TTP militants, he said.
In both these ambushes, 10 soldiers were killed and five injured, while four vehicles and a tank were severely damaged, the TTP spokesman said about the operation on March 29.
On the same day, a soldier of Frontier Corps (FC) paramilitary force was killed in a sniper attack in Guryom in North Waziristan.
Earlier, a Military Intelligence undercover operative was killed by the TTP in Peshawar.
Two FC personnel were killed in an ambush in Darra Adam Khel in Kohat district, the spokesman said, adding a pistol, ammunition, a smartphone, cash, and other equipment were also seized from them.
On March 28, a Pakistani soldier was killed and another injured in a sniper attack on a military post in Laka Tiga area of Tirah Maidan in Khyber district, he said.
One more soldier was killed in a separate sniper attack on a military guest house in the same Tirah Maidan on the same day.
In South Waziristan, a soldier was killed and one security camera was destroyed in an attack on a military post in Mantoi area of Shakai.
In North Waziristan, a military vehicle was ambushed in Madakhel Yezkhola area of Spin Wam on March 27, which resulted in the killing of 8 soldiers and complete destruction of the vehicle, the spokesman said.
In a separate attack, TTP militants targeted a military post using a grenade launcher in Sarvek area of Spin Wam in North Waziristan, killing and wounding 4 soldiers, he said.
One more soldier was killed in a sniper attack on a tanker ferrying water for a military post in Spin Wam on the same day.
In another incident in North Waziristan on the same day, a sniper attack by TTP on a military post killed one soldier and destroyed a security camera in Shakra area of Spin Wam.
In Khyber district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, TTP militants carried out an attack on a unit of Pakistan army and CTD in Aka Khel and Miri Khel area of Bara on March 26.
At least 5 personnel of the government forces were left dead and several injured in the attack, which also resulted in the destruction of two military vehicles, Khorasani said.
Separately, a sniper attack on a military guest house killed one soldier and partially damaged a vehicle in Maidan area of Bara.
One military officer was killed in a TTP sniper attack on a checkpost in Salarzai in Bajaur district, the spokesman said.
On the same day in North Waziristan, the TTP militants carried out a raid on military post in Shakira area of Spin Wam, killing one soldier and injuring several others, he said.
In Peshawar district on the same day, a sniper attack on Karbala Post killed one soldier, he said.
In South Waziristan on March 26, a sniper attack on a post in Shin Warsak killed one soldier, he said.
In Karak district, an associate of CTD was killed by TTP militants in Banda Daud area.
At least 5 more soldiers and police personnel were killed and several injured in multiple TTP attacks on March 25 in various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the spokesman.
The TTP also claimed to have killed 8 personnel of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of police and members of military-supported so-called ‘Peace Committee’ and injured 8 seriously in an attack in Punjab province’s Tunsa Sharif area in Dera Ghazi Khan district on March 27.
