Pakistani troops kill 37 militants in raids on their hideouts

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani security forces have killed 37 insurgents in multiple raids over more than a week on militant hideouts in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban, the military said Friday.

Troops also killed five insurgents elsewhere in the country’s restive southwest.

Pakistan has stepped up operations against Islamic militants and a small separatist group since insurgents killed more than 50 people in the Balochistan province in multiple attacks on police, security forces and civilians.

The military said in a statement that a dozen militants were killed overnight in Tirah Valley in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan. It brings the number of insurgents killed there to 37 since Aug. 20, it said.

The military said in a separate statement that security forces in three operations also killed five insurgents who they said were involved in recent deadly attacks in Balochistan.

The latest development came hours after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told the Senate that the recent attacks in Balochistan were aimed at ruining the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which Islamabad will host in October. Naqvi offered no evidence to back up his claim.

The recent violence in Balochistan had been claimed by the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army.

Balochistan is the scene of a long-running insurgency, with an array of separatist groups staging attacks, mainly on security forces. The separatists are demanding independence from the central government.