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PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) - Clashes between Pakistani tribesmen and foreign militants near the Afghan border this week have left up to 160 people dead, including about 130 Uzbek and Chechen fighters, the provincial governor said Friday.
Ali Mohammed Jan Aurakzai, the top government official in North West Frontier Province, said between 25 and 30 tribesmen also had died in fighting that started Monday in the South Waziristan tribal region and was continuing Friday.
The government says the bloodletting shows the success of its decision to use local tribesmen to root out foreign militants linked to al-Qaida. However, experts say it also exposes authorities' lack of control of a region also used by the Taliban to support attacks in Afghanistan.
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