Pakistan clashes 'leave 80 dead'

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At least 80 people have been killed in sectarian clashes in a tribal area of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan over the past three days, officials said.

They said 11 soldiers were among those killed in the clashes between Shia and Sunni Muslims in Kurram agency.

The military's intervention in the tribal region has brought a lull in the fighting, officials said.

The area has a history of sectarian violence. In April, similar clashes left some 55 people dead.

'Difficult'

The latest violence broke out when unidentified men fired at people coming out of a mosque after Friday prayers last week.

Pakistani troops took up positions in the main town of Parachinar, forcing the two warring sides to vacate their positions.

Three days later the toll stands at more than 80 people dead and a 100 wounded, the military says.

"The situation in Parachinar area has improved," military spokesman Maj Gen Waheed Arshad said on Monday.

"There was no fighting this morning and clashes have stopped."

On Monday, streets were deserted and shops, schools and offices remained closed under an indefinite curfew.

The town faced shortages of electricity and drinking water supplies after wires were badly damaged in the shelling.

"The whole of the city looks like a desert," news agency AFP quoted one Parachinar resident as saying.

"Everywhere is closed, the bazaar is closed - only the army is moving on the streets," the man said.

Tribesmen say continued fighting has stopped tribal elders from mediating a ceasefire.

Reports from the area say residents have started burying their dead.