Pakistan says 1 soldier killed, 6 separatists dead in clash

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s military says security forces have killed six separatists in a remote area of the country’s restive southwest in an overnight operation. Authorities said Saturday they launched the operation overnight based on information that the insurgents were riding motorcycles from Kech toward Panjgur. Troops surrounded the insurgents in Hoshab, which triggered an exchange of fire. One soldier was also killed and another injured. For nearly two decades, the area has been the scene of a low-level insurgency by the Baluchistan Liberation Army and other separatist groups demanding independence from the central government in Islamabad.