18 soldiers, 24 militants killed in clashes in Pakistan's Balochistan

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Eighteen paramilitary soldiers and 24 militants were killed in fighting in south-western Pakistan, the military's media wing said in a statement on Saturday.

The militants had tried to set up roadblocks overnight in the restive province of Balochistan and most of the deaths had taken place as security forces removed them, the military said.

Eleven of the militants were killed in what the military described as "clearance operations" on Saturday. It was not immediately clear which group the militants belonged to.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a statement condemned the attack.