Pakistani officials say a suicide bomber has killed 13 people in a crowded market. The victims include a mayor who formed a militia to fight the Taliban.
The bomber attacked the market outside the northwestern city of Peshawar Sunday as shoppers purchased goats for an upcoming Muslim festival Eid al Adha.
Officials say Abdul Malik, the mayor of Matni village, was the target of the attack. A former Taliban supporter, Malik switched sides in recent years and mobilized villagers to fight against the militants.
He had survived several assassination attempts since shifting his allegiance.
The Taliban has intensified attacks across the country since the Pakistani army began an offensive last month to clear militants from South Waziristan.
On Sunday, the army said 20 insurgents were killed in the latest fighting, raising the reported militant death toll to 478.
At least 44 soldiers also have died in the offensive. The military’s numbers have not been independently confirmed because journalists and rights groups are barred from the areas.
United Nations officials say around 200,000 people have fled South Waziristan but many others remain trapped in the conflict zone.
Originally posted and written for VOA News
