ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's military says security forces have raided militant hideouts setting off a shootout that left seven soldiers and nine militants dead.

In a statement Saturday, the military said the operation was carried out in the Gharlamai and Spera Kunar Algad areas of North Waziristan near the border with Afghanistan.

The military said an army captain was among those killed. The military provided no details about the militants killed.

North Waziristan has long been a sanctuary for the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups. Pakistan has carried out a number of military operations there in recent years and claims to have eliminated militant safe havens, but attacks persist.