KURRAM AGENCY: At least four personnel of the Frontier Corps (FC) were martyred and two others injured when a landmine went off in Kurram Agency on Sunday, ARY News reported.
According to officials of the political administration, the blast took place near Kharlachi border crossing with Afghanistan in the Kurram tribal region.
They said two personnel died on the spot while two others succumbed to their injuries during treatment in a hospital.
After being informed of the blast, the security forces rushed to the site and cordoned off the area to launch operation.
The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement that a captain identified as Husnain is among the martyred personnel of FC. Other deceased included Sepoy Saeed Baz, Qadir and Jumma Gul, it added.
It said the personnel were carrying out search operation to arrest those involved in the kidnapping of a Canadian-American couple when the explosive device went off.
Earlier this week, the Pakistan army had freed the couple from the clutches of the Haqqani network during a rescue mission carried out on the basis of information provided by the U.S officials.
Earlier last month, two consecutive blasts near Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan had resulted in the injuries to at least six personnel of the Frontier Constabulary (FC).
Read: Khyber-4 operation: Two soldiers martyred, 52 terrorists killed, five arrested – DG ISPR
The personnel deployed near the border crossing were injured in two consecutive blasts. Following the incident, the border crossing at Torkham was closed for any kind of movement.
The army had launched Operation Raddul Fasaad in February following a spate of terror attacks in the country, which claimed more than a hundred lives and left hundreds injured.
The operation seeks to eliminate the “residual/latent threat of terrorism”, consolidating the gains made in other military operations, and further ensuring the security of Pakistan’s borders.
The ISPR statement had said that this new effort entails conduct of Broad Spectrum Security and Counter Terrorism operations by Rangers in Punjab, continuation of ongoing operations across the country and focus on more effective border security management.
“Country wide de-weaponisation and explosive control are additional cardinals of the effort. Pursuance of National Action Plan will be the hallmark of this operation,” read the statement.
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