Pakistan army: 12 soldiers, 35 militants killed in clashes near border

Pakistani security forces have raided two Pakistani Taliban hideouts near the Afghan border in the past two days, sparking fierce clashes that have killed 12 soldiers and 35 militants, the military said today.

The death toll underscores the difficulties Pakistan faces as it tries to rein in resurgent militant groups. The military said 22 militants were killed in the first raid in Bajaur, a district in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Another 13 were killed in a separate operation in the South Waziristan district, the military said.

The military also announced that 12 soldiers were killed in South Waziristan.

Militants are using Afghan soil to stage attacks in Pakistan, the Pakistani military said, calling on the Taliban government in Kabul to take responsibility and "not allow terrorist activities against Pakistan to be staged on their soil."

The military called the slain militants Qarij, the government's term for the Pakistani Taliban, and claimed they were supported by India, although it did not provide evidence for these allegations.

Pakistan has long accused India of supporting the Pakistani Taliban and separatists in Balochistan, which New Delhi denies.

Pakistan has faced a surge in militant attacks in recent years, with the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, claiming responsibility for most of them. The group is separate from the Afghan Taliban but closely linked to them.

The group has been emboldened since the Afghan Taliban took power in Kabul in 2021, and many Pakistani Taliban leaders and fighters have found refuge across the border.