Pakistani army says shootout with militants killed 2 troops

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s military says a shootout with militants in the country’s northwest has killed two soldiers. The exchange on Sunday in Ghulam Khan, a border town in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, also killed seven militants. The area borders Afghanistan and is a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups. The military gave no further details. Lately, an increasing number of attacks on Pakistani troops and the military’s raids on militant hideouts there have raised concerns about the prospects of ongoing talks between the Islamabad government and the Pakistani Taliban. The talks are hosted by the Taliban in Afghanistan. The two sides agreed on a cease-fire in May that’s still holding.