Pakistani security forces kill 19 militants in separate shootouts

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani security forces faced off with insurgents in three separate shootouts, killing 19 militants, officials said Thursday.

Troops killed 9 militants in the first overnight raid in Bajur, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said in a statement without providing further details. Weapons and ammunition were seized from a hideout in Bajur which used to be a base for militants until many were killed or forced out in multiple security operations.

Meanwhile, police said an intense exchange of fire was still ongoing in another district, Dera Ismail Khan.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in the volatile northwestern region that borders Afghanistan, is a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban.

Also on Thursday, police said in a statement officers shot and killed 10 militants in Mianwali, a district in the eastern Punjab province. No details about the slain insurgents were shared.

Pakistani Taliban in recent months have repeatedly attacked officers in Mianwali.

The TTP is a separate group but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021. The Taliban takeover next door has emboldened the Pakistani Taliban who have stepped up attacks on Pakistani forces.