Pakistani soldiers slain by militants

Eight Pakistani soldiers whose bodies were found in a remote northwestern tribal region with their hands tied behind their backs were slain by militants who had taken them hostage, military and government officials said today.

The victims were travelling in a military convoy that was ambushed on March 22 near Sarwakai, a village about 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of Wana, the main town in South Waziristan tribal region, where a two-week military operation is still underway against suspected al-Qaida fugitives.