Eight Pakistani troops executed near Afghan border

First rule of fighting in the tribal areas: Don't allow yourself to be captured
alive.
Dave

WANA, Pakistan, March 27 (Reuters) - Eight Pakistani soldiers have been found
executed a few days after being taken hostage during fighting with al Qaeda
militants and their tribal allies near the border with Afghanistan, officials
said on Saturday.

The soldiers, their hands tied behind their backs and apparently shot at close
range, were found on Friday near Wana, the capital of the South Waziristan area
in Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal territories.

They were likely killed shortly after their convoy was ambushed on Monday, a
Pakistan Army official said.

The soldiers' deaths could spark an outburst of anger against the al Qaeda
militants, many of them Uzbeks and Chechens whose local support could be
threatened by the brutal killing.

President Pervez Musharraf's government announced on Thursday more troops would
be sent to the tribal territories bordering Afghanistan to reinforce a campaign
to root out al Qaeda fighters and their Pakistani tribal allies.

Around 100 people have been killed since last week when paramilitary forces
hunting militants linked to terror mastermind Osama bin Laden ran into a hail
of bullets as they approached a suspect's house in the rugged South Waziristan
region.

The battle, involving 5,000 troops, is Pakistan's biggest ever in the region
and comes after Musharraf narrowly escaped two assassination attempts in
December, blamed on Muslim militants.

The executed troops are separate to a group of 14 soldiers and officials
thought to have been kidnapped at the start of the clashes. Tribal elders had
been trying for days to persuade the militants to release the men and
surrender.

03/27/04 00:27 ET