Pakistani police sources said yesterday that a former leader of a pro-government militia and seven others were killed in an explosion claimed by the local Taliban in northwest Pakistan.
The attack took place in Kabala in the Swat Valley, a region controlled by the Pakistani Taliban between 2007 and 2009 at the start of their insurgency against the Pakistani state.
Swat Police Chief Zahid Nawaz Marwat said Idries Khan, a former commander of Pakistan’s anti-Taliban militia, was killed when a roadside bomb blew up as his pickup truck passed.
Another police source, who asked not to be named, confirmed the killing of seven other people, two police officers, two security guards and three farm workers.
The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, noting that Idries Khan had killed members of the group in the past. Islamabad has for years encouraged the formation of local armed groups to counter the influence of the Pakistani Taliban.
These groups were disbanded when the movement was curtailed as a result of intense army operations after 2014.
Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban of allowing the “Pakistan Taliban” to plan their attacks from Afghan soil, a charge that Kabul has consistently denied.
In June, the Pakistani Taliban announced a ceasefire “until further notice” to facilitate these negotiations.
Since then, there have been constant clashes between the two sides, which, nevertheless, continue to confirm their respect for the truce.
