Four Pakistani soldiers, two militants killed in raids on former Taliban hideouts

Pakistani security forces raided two militant hideouts in a former Taliban stronghold near Afghanistan, triggering shootings that killed four soldiers and two insurgents, the military said on Friday.

The first raid was carried out in the Tank district in the northwest, killing two militants, the statement said.

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The other strike was carried out in the North Waziristan district, capturing a militant before four soldiers died in the fighting. The military said troops seized a cache of weapons during both raids.

The military provided no further details about the slain soldiers and detained militants.

North Waziristan served as a militant stronghold for decades. The military carried out a full-fledged offensive in the region after an army-run school was attacked in December 2014 in the Peshawar city.

The attack, claimed by Pakistani Taliban, killed 147 people, mostly schoolchildren.

The latest violence in the northwest comes a day after a roadside bomb exploded outside a college in southwestern city of Quetta, killing six people and wounding at least 13 others.

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