At least 10 security forces personnel were killed and more than 30 were injured when dozens of militants attacked a checkpost in the mountainous area of Joogi, Central Kurram Agency, in the early hours of Tuesday. Officials claimed around 40 militants were killed when security forces retaliated after militants attacked the checkpost.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said eight security forces personnel were killed and 15 were injured in the attack. However, tribesmen in Sadda, another town in Kurram Agency, said more than 10 soldiers were killed and some 32 were wounded. Officials said that after the attack, security forces backed by helicopter gunships and artillery embarked on retaliatory action against the militants. The ISPR communiqué reported 35 militants killed in the retaliatory action, but tribesmen said more than 40 were killed. The Joogi region, which connects Kurram Agency to Orakzai Agency, has been under siege by militants for the last several years. In January, security forces launched an operation against militants to break the siege, establishing a checkpost in the Manzai area after clearing it of militants. Clashes between the militants and the army continue, however. Tribesmen said locals had abandoned their homes in Joogi and moved to safer places. So far, more than 150 people – including 18 troops – have been killed and scores of others injured in the fighting. The ISPR said the militants were unable to dislodge the checkpost, which was set up to block a route “frequently used” by the Taliban to cross over from Kurram into North Waziristan and onto the Afghan border.
The militants have been extensively using improvised explosive devices to inflict maximum loss of life.
It has been observed that these misguided individuals are now realizing that violence has only aggravated the conflict and has not resolved anything.
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