A bomb blast targeting a pro-government tribe on Saturday killed at least eight people and wounded 11 others at a market in Bajaur Agency, officials said.
The remote-controlled bomb blast took place at Pasht bazaar in Salarzai region, some 35 kilometres (20 miles) northeast of Khar, the main town of the restive Bajaur tribal district, which borders Afghanistan.
“At least four people were killed and 15 others were wounded,” local government official Saad Mohammad told AFP.
“Another four people died on reaching the hospital,” health department official Khan Saeed told AFP.
Three of the wounded were in critical condition, Khan said.
“Two tribal elders, Malik Tehsil Khan and Malik Mayn Jan also died in the bomb blast,” local government official Irshad Khan told AFP.
“We think that they were the main targets because they were the senior members of local peace committee which has formed a lashkar (tribal force) against Taliban,” he added.
Another official said that bomb was triggered by a remote control.
Taliban militants, who have targeted members of the Salarzai tribe in the past because they raised a village force to drive them out of region, claimed responsibility for the attack.
“We carried out the bombing against the peace committee because they had joined the government and were maligning Taliban,” Tehreek-e-Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told AFP.
“We had warned them before and warn them again that they should disband this anti-Taliban peace committee otherwise we will continue to attack them till they are totally eliminated,” Ehsan said.
More than 4,400 people have been killed across Pakistan in attacks blamed on Taliban and other extremist networks based in the tribal belt since 2007.
Blasts have become like a doctor's prescription for our country – 2 spoons in morning,2 in afternoon, 2 at night. What the hell is going on..
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