8 militants killed in military operations in northwest Pakistan

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – The Pakistan Army on Thursday killed eight militants in two separate operations in the northwestern Khyber Pkahtunkhwa province.

Five terrorists and their "facilitators" were also arrested during the operations, the military said in a statement.

In the first operation in the Bannu district, six terrorists were killed after intense fire exchange, while five more were apprehended, the statement said.

The slain militants were involved in facilitation of "numerous" attacks, including a suicide bombing on a military convoy in Bannu last month that killed nine troops, it added.

In another operation in the adjoining North Waziristan tribal district, two terrorists were killed in a "fierce" clash.

"Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from killed terrorists,” the statement added.

Pakistan has seen a surge in terrorist attacks since the Afghan Taliban retook power in Afghanistan over two years ago.

Islamabad accuses Kabul of shielding Pakistani militants now based in Afghanistan for their involvement in attacks inside Pakistan.

Afghanistan denies the accusation.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​