Pakistan says troops killed 20 militants in a region bordering Afghanistan

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ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani security forces killed 20 Pakistani Taliban insurgents in raids on hideouts in the northwest region bordering Afghanistan, the military said Monday, as tensions between the two countries escalated.

Separately, militants including a suicide bomber tried to storm a cadet college in Wana, a city in the South Waziristan district also in the northwest, triggering a gunbattle that killed at least two of the attackers, the military said.

Pakistan and Afghanistan blamed each other for the collapse of a third round of peace talks in Istanbul over the weekend. The negotiations, facilitated by Qatar and Turkey, began last month following deadly border clashes that killed dozens of soldiers and civilians on both sides.

Pakistan's military described the slain militants as “Khwarij,” a term the government uses for the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, which is designated as a terrorist organization by both the United States and the United Nations.

It said eight militants were killed Sunday in North Waziristan, a former TTP stronghold in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and 12 others were killed in a separate raid in the Dara Adam Khel district, also in the northwest.

The suicide bomber in in South Waziristan rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the college’s main gate. The military said troops killed two attackers and cornered three others in an administrative block. It alleged they were backed by rival India and had handlers in Afghanistan.

“Pakistan reserves the right to respond against terrorists and their leadership present in Afghanistan," it said. Pakistan often claims TTP enjoys India's backing, a charge New Delhi denies. TTP in a statement denied it was not behind the college attack.

TTP is separate from but allied with the Afghan Taliban and has been emboldened since the Afghan Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Many TTP leaders and fighters are believed to have taken refuge in Afghanistan since then. TTP often claims attacks in Pakistan, which has seen a surge in militant attacks in recent years.

Pakistan often accuses Kabul of turning a blind eye to cross-border attacks by Pakistani militants. Afghanistan's Taliban government denies the allegation.

Tensions between the two countries escalated after Afghanistan blamed Pakistan for Oct. 9 drone strikes in Kabul and vowed retaliation. The ensuing fighting killed dozens of people, including soldiers, civilians and militants, before Qatar brokered a ceasefire on Oct. 19, which remains in place.

It was followed for two rounds of talks in Istanbul, with the latest dialogue held on Thursday. But the talks ended without agreement after Kabul refused to provide a written assurance that the TTP and other militant groups would not be allowed to use its territory against Pakistan.

On Monday, Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said Kabul remains committed to preventing its territory from being used against any country. However, he blamed Pakistan for the stalemate, saying its delegation made “completely unacceptable demands.”

His comments followed a statement Sunday by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which also said it remains committed dialogue but its core concern regarding “terrorism emanating from Afghanistan needs to be addressed first and foremost.”

In 2022, Kabul had brokered a brief ceasefire between TTP and Pakistan, but TTP later ended it while accusing Pakistan of violating it. Since then, Pakistan has said there will be no talks with TTP and demanded Kabul hand over TTP members to Pakistan if it cannot rein them in.

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Associated Press writers Ishtiaq Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan, Riaz Khan and Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed to this report.