Three Pakistani soldiers killed in shootout near Afghan border

Three Pakistani soldiers were killed Thursday in an exchange of fire with militants in a northwestern tribal region near the Afghan border, the military said.

North Waziristan was once a focal point in the global war on terror, but attacks have decreased in recent years following a series of army offensives against homegrown and foreign militants.

As well as the soldiers, three militants were killed on Thursday during two separate intelligence-based operations on militant hideouts.

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"During an exchange of fire, three soldiers embraced shahadat (martyrdom), while two terrorists and a bomb-making expert were also killed,"Pakistan's military said in a statement.

In 2014, the army launched a massive operation to wipe out militant bases in the region, to end a near decade-long insurgency that cost thousands of lives.

Two years later, the army claimed to have cleared the last militant stronghold there after a three-month long operation.