Pakistani forces kill 5 militants and free 23 hostages in operation in the southwest

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani security forces killed five militants in an intense shootout and freed 23 hostages in the country’s restive southwest, the military said Sunday. It was unclear when the abductions took place.

The militants had established an illegal checkpoint near Kalat in Balochistan province overnight into Saturday, stopping vehicles to abduct people for ransom, extort money and seize vehicles, according to a military statement.

The statement described the killed militants as members of “Fitna al-Hindustan,” a term the Pakistani government uses for the outlawed separatist Baloch Liberation Army and other groups operating in Balochistan demanding independence and that it alleges are supported by India. New Delhi has previously denied accusations that it sponsors militancy in Pakistan.

Security forces recovered six trucks, three buses and two cars, along with weapons, ammunition and explosives. No casualties among security forces or abductees were reported. The military said troops were searching the surrounding area for any remaining militants.

The latest operation came just over a week after Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti ruled out negotiations with insurgents and said security operations would continue until militancy was eliminated from the province.

Insurgents often kidnap people for ransom after establishing illegal checkpoints. Last month, they killed 18 police officers after abducting them. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces for the operation and said counterterrorism operations would continue and vowed to eliminate what he called foreign-sponsored terrorism.

Balochistan has been the scene of a long-running insurgency in southwestern Pakistan with an array of separatist groups, including the BLA, demanding independence from Pakistan’s central government in Islamabad. The groups have staged attacks mainly targeting security forces and people from Punjab who travel to Balochistan for business or employment.

Although Pakistani authorities say they have quelled the insurgency, violence in the province has persisted.

Meanwhile, six security personnel were killed in a shootout with militants in Hangu in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, the military said. Troops returned fire and killed eight militants, according to a military statement.

Pakistan has seen a surge in violence in recent years, with many attacks blamed on the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. It is separate from but allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban. Pakistan often accuses Kabul of sheltering TTP leaders, a charge Afghanistan’s Taliban government denies.