QUETTA: At least eight Pakistani paramilitary troops and seven militants were killed in separate clashes in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and southwestern Balochistan provinces, officials said on Monday.

A high-value Daesh militant, who was under custody for the kidnapping and murder of a young boy, was killed during a police “encounter” with his accomplices, who attempted to free him while he was being taken for the identification of a Daesh hideout in Balochistan’s Mastung district, according to a CTD statement.

The suspect’s accomplices present inside opened heavy fire on the CTD team, resulting in a fierce exchange that resulted in the killing of the suspect, Hasham, by “his group’s fire,” while two militants were also neutralized on the spot, the CTD said. The claim could not be independently verified.

“All three killed suspects were linked to Daesh (ISKP) and were planning future acts of terror. The group was also involved in targeted killings and extortion networks, using child abductions to fund militant operations,” the CTD said in a statement.

Muhammad Musawir Khan Kakar, a third-grade student, was kidnapped from a school van by unidentified armed men while on his way to school in Quetta on Nov. 15, 2024, according to his family and police. His body was found in Mastung’s Dasht area on June 23.

Separately, eight Pakistani paramilitary troops and four militants were killed in a clash in KP’s Orakzai district that borders Afghanistan, AFP news agency reported, citing local officials.

“Armed terrorists attacked a Frontier Corps (FC) convoy with heavy weapons... The fighting continued for several hours,” the news agency quoted a senior local security official as saying.

“Eight FC personnel were killed, and 11 were injured.”

Three injured soldiers are in critical condition, while the clash also killed four militants, he added.

Pakistan is currently battling twin insurgencies: one led my religiously motivated groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), mainly in its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the other by ethno-nationalist Baloch separatist groups, Daesh and other smaller groups in Balochistan.

In recent months, Islamabad has frequently accused India of backing militant groups and Afghanistan of allowing the use of its soil for attacks against Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi deny the allegation.

— With additional input from AFP