Soldier, militant dead in Pakistan after clash near border

By ABDUL SATTAR
Associated Press

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani security forces have killed a militant in a shootout near the border with Afghanistan. The military said Sunday that a group of militants attempted to sneak in the country’s northwest  and triggered a shootout that also killed a soldier. The clash erupted overnight in the Sambaza area of Zhob. The military statement said surveillance on the area started days earlier after intelligence reports that militants were using the route to sneak in to target civilians and security forces. The Pakistani Taliban are a separate group, but allied with the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan a year ago as U.S. and NATO troops withdrew.