Pakistani security forces say they killed 8 militants in a raid in the restive northwest

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani security forces killed eight militants in an overnight raid in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in the volatile northwest bordering Afghanistan, the military said Thursday.

Troops also seized weapons and ammunition from the insurgents’ hideout after an intense shootout in North Waziristan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, it said in a statement.

The military provided no details about the slain militants, including their affiliation. Such operations often target the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP.

North Waziristan served in the past as a base for TTP and foreign militants until many were killed or forced out in multiple operations by security forces.

The TTP are a separate group but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021. The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has emboldened the Pakistani Taliban.

Many TTP leaders and fighters have found sanctuaries in Afghanistan, raising tensions between the two countries. Pakistan wants the Afghan Taliban government to stop the TTP from using Afghanistan to launch attacks in Pakistan.

Afghanistan’s government says it does not allow anyone to use Afghan soil to attack any other country, including Pakistan.

The Associated Press