A shootout on Pakistan’s frontier with Afghanistan kills 5 militants and 3 Pakistani soldiers

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s military says security forces have killed five militants in a remote northwestern area on Monday when they tried to sneak in from neighboring Afghanistan. Three soldiers were also killed in the exchange of fire in Bajur district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Islamabad often accuses Kabul of turning a blind eye to militants operating near the frontier, which the Afghan Taliban government denies. Pakistan has witnessed a surge in violence in recent years, mostly blamed on the outlawed Pakistani Taliban. The military did not say whether the militants in the shootout were with the group.