Clashes with militants in southwestern Pakistan kill 5 troops and 7 militants

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) - Clashes with insurgents in southwestern Pakistan's embattled Balochistan province on Wednesday killed five soldiers, including an army major, the military said. An outlawed separatist group said it had attacked the soldiers.

According to the military, security forces launched an operation in the province's district of Barkhan to rout out insurgents that Islamabad claims are backed by India. The province's outlawed separatist Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, issued a statement saying its fighters had attacked the troops, triggering a shootout.

Among the military deaths was an army major, the military said, adding that the fighting also left seven militants dead.

Resource-rich Balochistan - Pakistan's largest but least populated province - has long faced an insurgency by separatist groups as well as attacks by the Pakistani Taliban. The BLA, which the United States designated a terrorist organization in 2019, has carried out numerous attacks targeting security forces and civilians in the province in recent years.

The military described the killed militants as members of ″ Fitna al-Hindustan," a term Pakistani authorities use for Indian-backed insurgents.

India has repeatedly denied supporting militant groups inside Pakistan.