Pakistani security forces kill 8 militants in raids in northwest

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Pakistani security forces killed eight militants in two raids targeting militant hideouts in restive northwest Pakistan bordering Afghanistan, the military said Tuesday.

The raids were conducted Monday in the Tank and Tirah Valley districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, it said in a statement.

The military described the dead militants as “Khwarij,” a phrase the government uses for Pakistani Taliban. It gave no further details.

Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, are allies of the Afghan Taliban but are a separate group. They have stepped up their assaults in the region since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. The TTP are outlawed in Pakistan and have been emboldened since the Afghan Taliban came into power.