Captain martyred and seven terrorists killed in intelligence‑based operation in Hangu district, ISPR reports.

A military intelligence‑based operation was carried out on Friday in the Hangu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The operation targeted a group of terrorists that the Inter‑Services Public Relations (ISPR) identified as Fitna al Khawarij, the name the state uses for the banned Tehreek‑i‑Taliban Pakistan. During the engagement, Captain Hamza Akram, a 27‑year‑old officer from Punjab’s Narowal district, was leading his troops from the front. He was killed in the exchange of fire. Seven terrorists were also killed in the same encounter. ISPR said the terrorists had taken refuge inside a mosque, disregarding the sanctity of the place of worship. During the ensuing firefight, weapons and ammunition were recovered from the killed terrorists. The statement added that a sanitisation operation is underway to eliminate any remaining Indian‑sponsored terrorists in the area. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi offered his condolences to the captain’s family and praised the officer’s sacrifice for the homeland. Earlier on the same day, ISPR reported two separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that resulted in the deaths of ten terrorists.