ISLAMABAD
At least five militants, including two so-called commanders, were killed when troops prevented a terrorist attack and during a military operation in northwestern Pakistan, officials said on Saturday.
Three militants were killed when they attempted to attack a police checkpoint in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Bannu district, police said in a statement.
“Terrorists planned to attack a police check post using a rickshaw loaded with explosive material on Friday night,” police said, adding that security personnel foiled the attack by shooting at the rickshaw, which exploded before reaching its target.
In another intelligence-based operation, security forces killed two so-called militant commanders in the Mughal Kot area of Bannu.
According to the military, both militants were involved in attacks on security forces and extortion for the militant group.
Pakistan has witnessed a resurgence in militant violence in recent years. Authorities in Islamabad accuse the Afghan administration of failing to stop members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from using Afghan soil to stage attacks in Pakistan.
Afghanistan denies the accusations and contends it remains committed to preventing its territory from being used for cross-border attacks.