Foreign fighters and local tribesmen in the area near Wana, South Waziristan, Pakistan continue to duke it out, with 52 reported deaths Friday.

An excerpt from the BBC story:

The BBC's Alastair Leithead in Lahore says the fighting is being presented by Mr Sherpao (Aftab Khan Sherpao, Pakistan's interior minister) as a clash between pro-government elders and foreign fighters, who are reportedly supporting al-Qaeda.

"The fighting is going on. It intensified today after peace talks failed," Mr Sherpao told AFP news agency.

"Tribes are insisting on their demand that these people either surrender or quit the area."

Our correspondent says the government is keen to show that the fighting indicates that a controversial peace deal to stop militants crossing the border into Afghanistan is working.

Under the deal the military reduced its presence on the condition that local tribesmen stopped militants from carrying out attacks across the border.

Critics of that deal, and a similar one in North Waziristan, say they are making things worse.

However, other reports suggest the fighting is a result of other tensions between local tribesmen and the Uzbeks, who locals say do not follow important local customs.