8 Killed in Afghan Rebel, Tribal Clash

Eight people were killed in a battle lasting several hours between Afghan guerrillas and dissident Pakistani tribesmen armed by the Afghan government, tribal authorities in Peshawar said Thursday.

Each side lost four men in Wednesday’s battle on the Afghan side of the border at Torkham.

The Afghan government wants the tribesmen, who have always been fiercely independent of governments, to stop the Muslim rebels from using their territory as a springboard for attacks on Afghanistan. The rebels, backed by Pakistan, the United States, China and Arab countries, are trained and armed in the tribal area along the mountainous border.