Pakistani security forces kill 8 militants near Afghanistan border

Pakistani security forces killed eight insurgents in an overnight operation at a militant hideout near the Afghan border, the military said, and the shootout left one soldier dead and four wounded on Wednesday.

According to a military statement, the shootout took place in Shin Warsak area of South Waziristan, a district in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where an intelligence-based operation was conducted. It said the dead militants were actively involved in attacks on security forces and killing innocent citizens.

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The military did not identify the militant group to which the slain insurgents belonged but the mountainous region along the Afghan border has long served as a base for the Pakistani Taliban and other militants until a few years ago, when the army said it cleared the region of insurgents. But occasional attacks have continued.

The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, are a separate group from the Afghan Taliban, although Pakistan’s militant groups are often interlinked with those across the border.

Associated Press