2 soldiers killed in shootout when militants ambush troops in southwest Pakistan, military says

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A group of militants ambushed troops during a search operation against insurgents in a remote area in southwestern Pakistan, triggering a shootout that left an army major and a junior officer dead, the military said Monday.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Sunday’s ambush near Balor in Baluchistan province, but Pakistani Taliban and small separatist groups have claimed similar attacks in the past.

The military identified the two killed as Saqib Hussain and Naik Baqir Ali. Another soldier was injured, the statement said.

Small separatist groups in oil-rich Baluchistan have waged a low-level insurgency for more than two decades. Baluch nationalists initially wanted a bigger share of the provincial resources, but later their insurgency morphed into a fight for independence from the government in Islamabad.

Though Pakistani authorities say they have quelled the insurgency, the violence has continued. The previous day, three policemen and a soldier were killed in militant attacks in Baluchistan, where militants from the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan also have a strong presence.

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