Pakistani army kills 11 militants in raid in the northwest following bombing that killed 7 soldiers

DERA ISLAMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s authorities say security forces have killed 11 militants in an overnight operation in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in the restive northwest. In a statement Tuesday, the military said the raid was in retaliation to Sunday’s roadside bombing that killed seven soldiers in the same Lakki Marwat district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bordering Afghanistan. It added the operation is still ongoing “to eliminate any other terrorist found in the area”. No one has claimed Sunday’s attack, however, blame is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban which has stepped up its assaults in the region since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021.