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

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani security forces killed eight militants in an overnight raid in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in the volatile northwestern region that borders 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.

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 was a base for the TTP and other militant groups until many were killed or forced out in multiple operations by security forces.

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.

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 on Pakistani soil.

The Afghan Taliban claim they do not allow anyone to use Afghanistan’s territory for attacks any other country, including Pakistan.

Late Thursday, an explosion at a police station’s ammunition depot in the northwestern district of Swabi killed a boy who was passing by and wounded 33 people, including civilians and police officers, police official Haroon Rashid said.

He said the blast was caused by short circuit inside a room where the ammunition was stored. A section of the police station collapsed from the blast.