ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani security forces killed 43 militants in two raids on hideouts in the northwest bordering Afghanistan over the past two days, the military said Friday.

The raids were carried out in the Mir Ali and Orakzai districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said in a statement. Troops also seized weapons, ammunition and explosive devices.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces and vowed to continue the fight against militancy.

The military identified the militants as Khawarij, a term the government uses for militants it alleges are backed by Afghanistan, including those linked to the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. Kabul denies those accusations.

The Pakistani Taliban are a separate but allied group to Afghanistan’s Taliban, who have been emboldened since taking power in Kabul in 2021. Many TTP leaders and fighters are believed to operate from sanctuaries across the Afghan border, straining relations between Islamabad and Kabul.