QUETTA, Pakistan (AFP) - Two Pakistani soldiers were shot dead Wednesday by suspected tribal rebels in the restive southwestern province of Baluchistan, officials said.
They were on a mine-clearing operation when armed men opened fire near the army checkpost in Dear Bugti town, a security official told AFP.
Dera Bugti, 400 kilometres (250 miles) southeast of the provincial capital Quetta, was the hometown of Baluch tribal chief Nawab Akbar Bugti, who was killed by security forces last year.
Resource-rich Baluchistan province has been gripped for more than two years by an insurgency led by autonomy-seeking tribal rebels, which has left hundreds dead.
The rebels, who mainly attack government installations, gas pipelines and power pylons, want more political control and a greater share of the province's resources.