Roadside bomb claimed by Pakistan Taliban kills eight in northwest

Roadside bomb claimed by Pakistan Taliban kills eight in northwest

PESHAWAR, Pakistan: The bomb killed the former head of a pro-government militia and seven others in northwestern Pakistan, officials stated Wednesday (Sep 14), in an attack claimed by the local Taliban.

The blast happened Wednesday night in Kabal town in the Swat valley, which was mostly ruled by the Pakistan Taliban during a 2007-09 insurgency.

For a long time Islamabad encouraged tribe vigilante forces known as peace committees to defend their villages towards militants.

Many have been disbanded since the insurgency was mainly crushed and safety improved across the country.

Swat district officer Zahid Nawaz Marwat told AFP that former peace committee head Idrees Khan was killed when his pick-up pickup truck was hit by a roadside bomb.

Another local police official confirmed the particular death toll, which included two local policemen, two private pads and three labourers.

The attack was claimed with the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who stated Khan was mixed up in killing of their people.

The group also claimed responsibility to get a clash with Pakistani military in which three soldiers were wiped out Tuesday in Kurram district, bordering Afghanistan.

The TTP declared an everlasting ceasefire in 06 to facilitate serenity talks being brokered by Afghanistan, yet there have been regular clashes since then despite each sides saying the truce was nevertheless on.

Because the Taliban returned in order to power in Afghanistan last year Islamabad provides regularly complained of attacks by the TTP, especially along their particular porous frontier.

The Pakistan plus Afghanistan Taliban are separate groups but share a common ideology.