PESHAWAR: Taleban gunmen on Thursday killed nine tribal elders and fought with one of the pro-government militias on the front-line of Pakistan’s fight against rebels, police said.
Up to 16 people — seven pro-government tribal elders, two allied tribal militiamen and seven Taleban militants — died in the violence in the district of Bannu near the tribal belt on the border with Afghanistan.
“Taleban militants attacked the tribal elders who were on their way to a nearby village to mediate a dispute,” local police chief Iqbal Marwat told AFP.
The shooting happened just outside the small town of Janikhel and the victims included tribal chief Malik Sultan, who was active in raising a government-sponsored militia, Marwat said.
“All seven, who were on foot, were killed on the spot while the militants fled,” the local police chief added.
Meanwhile, a US drone attack on Thursday killed 10 militants at their compound in the tribal belt, officials said.
“Ten dead bodies were recovered from the debris of the house and two militants were wounded in the attack,” a Pakistani security official told AFP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Another official and residents confirmed the same toll, but one official in the semi-autonomous North Waziristan district said seven people were killed.
“The target was a compound of Haqqani’s men. According to our reports all of the dead belong to the Haqqani network,” the Pakistani official said.
