Pakistan Army soldiers. (Reuters)

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces killed nine insurgents, including a high-level target, in a shootout overnight in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in the volatile northwestern region that borders Afghanistan, the military said Thursday.
A statement issued by the Pakistan army’s media wing said that troops also seized weapons and ammunition from the hideout of insurgents after the shootout in Bajaur, a restive district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
“During the conduct of the operation, our own troops effectively engaged the militants’ location and after an intense fire exchange, nine of them, including two suicide bombers and a high-value target ring leader, Said Muhammad, aka Qureshi Ustad, were sent to hell,” the handout read.
The military’s statement did not provide details about the slain terrorists or their affiliation. Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks since its fragile truce with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Pakistani Taliban, collapsed in Nov 2022.
The TTP is a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. The Taliban takeover next door has emboldened the Pakistani Taliban who have stepped up attacks on Pakistani forces.