WANA, Pakistan, March 23 (UPI) -- The death toll mounted Friday in northwest Pakistan as an effort to negotiate a ceasefire in semi-autonomous South Waziristan failed.
At least 128 people, 26 Waziri tribesmen and 102 foreign fighters, have been killed, the Pakistan Tribune reported.
South Waziristan, a semi-autonomous area along the border with Afghanistan, has reportedly become a sanctuary for al-Qaida and Taliban fighters.
The fighting this week pitted tribesmen against Islamist fighters from Chechnya, Uzbekistan and Arab countries, the Washington Post said. Many of the tribesmen support the Taliban but resent the foreign influx.
The Tribune said that ordinary life has ground to a halt in the area with markets and schools closed. Local residents have been trying to get away from the fighting.
The tribesmen have reportedly taken at least 77 prisoners and have freed 18 Pakistanis and Afghans from private prisons run by the foreigners.
