At least 19 soldiers, 45 militants killed in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

At least 19 soldiers and 45 militants have been killed in clashes in Pakistans restive northwest with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday vowing to respond with full force against the terroristsAccording to the Pakistan army at least 45 militants have been killed in clashes in three different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province from September 10 to 13Sharif accompanied by army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir visited Bannu and attended a highlevel meeting focused on counterterrorism Radio Pakistan reportedThe prime minister said Pakistans response to terrorism will continue with full force and made it clear that no ambiguity or compromise will be toleratedHe alleged that the terrorist leaders and facilitators responsible for attacks in Pakistan are operating from Afghan soilClaiming the involvement of infiltrated Afghan nationals in terrorist incidents he stressed the urgent need for the repatriation of illegal Afghan residents currently living in PakistanSharif said Pakistan rejects politicisation and misleading narratives on the issue of terrorismDuring the visit the prime minister and the field marshal also visited Bannus military hospital to meet the injured soldiersHe along with the army chief also participated in the funeral prayers of the 12 soldiers killed in an operation in South Waziristan districtAccording to two different statements by the army 45 terrorists belonging to the TehreekeTaliban Pakistan TTP were killed in three separate operations in Khyber PakhtunkhwaAn intelligencebased operation was conducted by the security forces in Bajaur district and in an intense exchange of fire 22 terrorists belonging to the TTP were killed it saidIn another encounter that took place in South Waziristan district 13 TTP terrorists were neutralised and 12 soldiers lost their lives in the intense exchange of fire the statement saidWeapons and ammunition were also recovered from the terrorists it saidThe InterServices Public Relations ISPR the militarys media wing claimed the involvement of Afghan nationals in these terrorist actsIn the third incident the security forces conducted an intelligencebased operation on Thursday in Lal Qilla Maidan of Lower Dir district on the reported presence of terroristsAt least seven soldiers and 10 terrorists were killed after an intense exchange of fire it saidThe army said that intelligence reports unequivocally confirmed the physical involvement of Afghan nationals in these heinous actsIt added that Pakistan expects the interim Afghan government to uphold its responsibilities and deny use of its soil for terrorist activities against PakistanThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever