Pakistan army says 7 militants killed near Afghan border

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s military says security forces killed seven militants in two different operations near the Afghan border on Sunday.

Five militants were killed in raid on a hideout in the Jani Khel area of Bannu district — the gateway to North Waziristan, they said in a statement. Two other militants were killed in a shootout in a tribal district of North Waziristan.

Security forces seized arms and ammunition from both areas, and said the militants had been involved in attacks on security forces in recent months.

North Waziristan and its surroundings were a militant sanctuary for years until a massive military operation to clear the area in 2014. Militants still show their presence by sporadically attacking forces there.