World News | Officials: 16 Militants, 2 Soldiers Killed in Pakistan Raids

Quetta, Oct 23 (AP) Pakistan's security forces say they killed 16 militants in separate shootouts during raids against extremists and separatists on Saturday, with two soldiers killed in the process.

One raid was conducted in the Mastung area of Baluchistan province, the provincial counterterrorism department said in a statement. Earlier in the week, a bomb attack killed a police officer and wounded 19 others in the same area.

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The statement said militants opened fire on police triggering a gun battle that left nine “terrorists” dead. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but the bombing earlier in the week was claimed by the Pakistani Taliban. The statement said the raid also yielded nine Kalashnikov assault rifles, explosives and rocket-propelled grenades.

In the evening, security forces say they killed six separatists in another raid in the Harnai district of Baluchistan. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorised to release the information.

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Earlier in the northwest, two soldiers and a militant were killed in an exchange of fire during a separate raid, according to a military statement. That raid took place Friday in Miran Shah, the main town of the North Waziristan tribal district bordering Afghanistan. The military statement said weapons and ammunition were seized during the raid.

Pakistan and Afghanistan share a 2,400-kilometer (1,500-mile) internationally recognised border known as the Durand Line, which was drawn in the 19th century when the British dominated South Asia. Kabul has never recognised the boundary.

Before the Taliban came back into power in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan often accused each other of turning a blind eye to militants operating along the porous frontier. The Taliban's return to power in August apparently emboldened Islamic militants in Pakistan, where attacks on security forces have increased in recent weeks. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)