Bomb kills two Pakistan government allies

KHAR, Pakistan - A bomb explosion Saturday killed two members of a Pakistani pro-government militia and wounded four others during an archaeological dig in a tribal district on the Afghanistan border, officials said.

The incident took place in the mountainous area of Darra, 30 kilometres (18 miles) northeast of Khar, the main town of Bajaur tribal district, one of the seven semi-autonomous tribal regions.

"About a dozen members of the local peace committee were digging at an excavation site when a remote controlled bomb went off, killing two members and wounding four others," senior local administration official Sardar Yousuf said.

The group were digging in the area to look for antiquities.

Another local administration official Asad Sarwar also confirmed the incident and casualties.

Pakistan has for years been fighting homegrown Taliban insurgents in its northwestern border areas with Afghanistan.

Washington considers the tribal areas a major hub of Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants plotting attacks on the West and in Afghanistan.