Islamabad [Pakistan], March 16 (ANI): At least two Pakistani soldiers and nine terrorists were killed after the Pak security forces raided two hideouts used by an armed group in the restive northwest, triggering gun battles, Al Jazeera reported.

The raids were conducted on Saturday in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Mohmand and Dera Ismail Khan districts, which border Afghanistan.

According to local police, the fighters belonged to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban.

Notably, TTP -- banned in Pakistan -- is a separate group but an ally of the Afghan Taliban, who reseized power in neighbouring Afghanistan in August 2021 as the United States and other NATO troops were in the final stages of a withdrawal from the country after 20 years of war.

Many TTP leaders and fighters have found sanctuaries and have even been living openly in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover, which also emboldened the Pakistani Taliban, according to Al Jazeera.

In a separate incident on Saturday, fighters ambushed security forces in northwestern Pakistan's Kurram district, bordering Afghanistan, the report said, citing local police. Authorities have yet to confirm any casualties in that attack.

Pakistan's military is engaged in an ongoing operation in Kurram, an area that has witnessed years of violence between Sunni and Shia Muslim communities, as reported by Al Jazeera. Hundreds of people have been killed in fighting between armed groups, exacerbating tensions in the region.

Kurram has remained isolated since last November, after authorities blocked key roads following sectarian violence. The closure has led to severe shortages of medicine and food, deepening a humanitarian crisis.

In another incident, a bomb exploded outside a mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing a religious leader, local police said on Saturday. It was unclear who was behind the attack, and an investigation was being conducted. (ANI)