8 Pakistani Troops Killed in Gun Battle

A gun battle between paramilitary troops and tribesmen left eight soldiers dead and 23 wounded in an insurgency-wracked area of southwestern Pakistan, a paramilitary spokesman said today.

The battle, which began Thursday after an attack on troops in an area near Pakistan’s main gas fields, ended this morning after a cease-fire agreement was reached, said a Frontier Corps spokesman, Lt. Col. Rizwan Malik.

The 16-hour battle took place on the outskirts of Dera Bugti, 150 miles southeast of Quetta, Baluchistan province’s capital, Malik said.

It was not clear whether the attackers had suffered any casualties, he said.

A Baluchistan tribe has been demanding greater royalties for resources extracted from its territory. The government says a committee will examine matter and make a decision soon.

The latest battle began when tribesmen ambushed pickup trucks carrying dozens of troops in the Sangseela mountains near Dera Bugti. Later, they fired 200 rockets at a military base, prompting authorities to send hundreds of regular forces and several helicopter gunships to the area.

Malik would not confirm a claim by Nawab Akbar Bugti -- head of the Bugti tribe, which was allegedly involved in the attacks -- that the army had killed 30 people, including women and children, in Dera Bugti.