PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Army raided a militant hideout in the restive northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, triggering a fierce clash in which 16 militants and two soldiers were killed, the military's media wing said on Saturday.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said 12 militants were killed in an operation in Ali Khel, while two each were eliminated in Mir Ali and Datta Khel in North Waziristan.
Two Afghan nationals associated with the Pakistani Taliban -- referred to as Fitna-al-Khawarij by the military -- were also among those killed, the ISPR said.
During the exchange of fire, two Pakistan Army soldiers died. They were identified as Havildar Ismat Ali, 43, and Naik Aftab Ali, 32, it said.
Both soldiers fought bravely and laid down their lives in the line of duty, the military's media wing said, adding that the operations had dealt a major blow to the militant network.
Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the slain militants, who were involved in numerous terrorist activities, including the killing of innocent civilians, it said.
Earlier on November 13, Pakistani security forces have killed 74 militants in multiple raids on hideouts in the northwest and southwestern regions bordering Afghanistan over the past 10 days, the military said.
Separately, troops killed 31 militants in multiple operations in Balochistan province, the site of a bloody insurgency led by the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, since Nov. 3, the military said. It alleged the militants were backed by Afghanistan and India. Kabul and New Delhi have previously denied such allegations.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces and vowed to continue the fight against militancy.
