Troops, tribal militants clash in Pakistan,two dead

QUETTA, Pakistan, Mar 26 (Reuters) Two tribal militants were killed in a clash with Pakistani security forces in the troubled province of Baluchistan today, an official said.

The exchange of gunfire took place near Loti town, where a natural gas field run by the state-owned Oil and Gas Development Co Ltd., is located.

The militants also attacked a natural gas pipeline near Loti, the top administration official in the area, Abdul Samad Lasi, told Reuters.

He said he didn't have any more details on the attack or if any soldiers were wounded or killed in the gunfire.

Baluch militants have been waging a low-level insurgency in the resource-rich southwest province for decades for greater political and economic autonomy.

They have intensified attacks, in recent months, on government targets such as natural gas and transport facilities.

The attacks follow a crackdown by Pakistan security forces on Baluch rebels after a rocket attack on Dec. 14 when President Pervez Musharraf was visiting the town of Kohlu.

Baluchistan nationalists say hundreds of people have been killed in clashes but analysts say this could be an exaggeration.

REUTERS CH RN1405