Pakistani security forces kill 4 militants in operations in northwest bordering Afghanistan

DERA ISLAMIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan security forces killed four insurgents in an overnight raid on a militant hideout in the country’s northwest bordering Afghanistan, the military said Tuesday.

Troops found a cache of weapons, ammunition, and explosives in the intelligence-based operation conducted at the hideout in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said in a statement.

Though security forces often conduct such raids, the latest one came hours after insurgents from an outlawed Baluchistan Liberation Army or BLA tried to sneak into a navy air base in Baluchistan province.

A soldier and four attackers were killed in the ensuing shootout in Turbat district, the military said on Tuesday. No damage was caused to the Siddiqui air station.

BLA claimed responsibility for the attack. The group was designated a terrorist group by Pakistan, the United Kingdom and the United States years ago.