Two Levies personnel martyred in Pishin checkpost attack

**PISHIN:** Two Levies force personnel were martyred in a terrorist attack on a paramilitary checkpost in Balochistan’s Pishin District on Tuesday.

According to Levies authorities, unidentified armed men on motorcycles opened fire on the checkpost situated on Pishin’s Kali Malizai Road. As a result, two officers, Yasir Ilyas and Abdul Qadeer, embraced martyrdom.

The terrorists managed to flee the scene. The bodies of the martyred Levies personnel were taken to the hospital and later handed over to their families after necessary procedures.

Following the incident, Pishin administration officials reached the scene, cordoned off the area, and initiated a search operation to apprehend the suspects.

The country has witnessed a rise in terrorist attacks and cross-border infiltration, especially in KP and Balochistan, in recent months.

Last month, the federal government approved the launch of a strategic campaign, "Azm-e-Istehkam," a renewed national anti-terror drive, in response to the increase in terrorist attacks and cross-border infiltration, particularly in KP and Balochistan.

Islamabad has repeatedly urged the interim Afghan administration in Kabul to prevent banned militant outfits from using Afghan soil for attacks against Pakistan.

During the second quarter of 2024, Pakistan experienced 380 violence-linked fatalities and 220 injuries among civilians, security personnel, and outlaws, resulting from 240 incidents of terror attacks and counter-terror operations, according to a Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) Annual Security report.

This includes 236 fatalities among civilians and security forces personnel. KP and Balochistan, both sharing borders with Afghanistan, have borne the brunt of terrorist attacks, accounting for nearly 92% of all fatalities and 87% of attacks. KP suffered 67% and Balochistan 25% of all fatalities in the second quarter of 2024.