A soldier from the military regiment of Sindh was shot dead while on guard duty at the Jacobabad airport, heightening fears for the security of American troops and equipment which has now been placed in the desert town of Pakistan's southern province.

Reports began to circulate soon afterwards that the U.S. had renewed demands to move their base to the hill town of Mianwali in the Punjab. Authorities reached on telephone from Karachi avoided giving details except for a brief comment that the soldier was fired at from a distance. Nothing more was made available to the media.

Sources said sepoy Jawaid Akhtar was hit in the stomach, and died in the military hospital of Panno Aqil, a cantonment town close to Sindh's third main city of Sukkur, located on border with Baluchistan and the Punjab.

Meanwhile, a goods train was attacked near Quetta late last night, but no one was wounded.