Pak tribal rebel chief gunned down

QUETTA: Pakistani security forces killed tribal rebel chieftain Nawab Akbar Bugti in a major military operation in restive Baluchistan province, the information minister said.          

"I can confirm that Akbar Bugti was killed in the operation," the minister, Mohammad Ali Durrani, said. "Further details are coming and we cannot confirm any other information."     

At least 25 commandos and more than 30 tribal insurgents were also killed in fighting near Dera Bugti town, close to a mountain hideout in the southwestern province where Bugti was sheltering, security officials said.              

The British-educated tribal leader, who is in his 80s, fled his stronghold earlier this year after a crackdown by the Pakistani military.              

The clampdown was sparked by a rocket attack during a visit by President Pervez Musharraf to Baluchistan in December.              

Baluchistan has been rocked by a near two-year insurgency blamed on autonomy-seeking tribesmen who also want a greater share of the gas-rich province's natural resources.            

Officials say hundreds of people have died in the unrest that erupted in late 2004, which has seen a series of attacks on gas pipelines, railway tracks and government installations.      

Bugti gave an interview earlier this year from his hideout in which he pledged to continue his resistance and accused the military of killing civilians.