File Photo. Asif Hassan—AFP
Jamaat ul Ahrar claims responsibility for attack on son of peace committee chief.
At least six people were killed and three others injured when two roadside bombs hit a passenger van and motorbike in Mohmand Agency on Friday, officials said.
“The incident occurred in Chinori village of the Mohmand tribal district, the target was the son of a peace committee chief,” said a local administration official. Khushal Khan, a senior administration official, confirmed the incident.
“The first blast hit the motorbike, killing the son of the anti-Taliban peace militia and injuring his friend, while the second blast hit a passenger van killing five people,” Khan added.
Jamaat ul Ahrar, a split-away faction of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility. “Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaat ul Ahrar accepts the responsibility of this attack, this attack was carried out to avenge the tyranny and humiliation that have been enforced upon oppressed Muslims by these apostate thugs,” spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said in a statement emailed to the media.
Pakistan has been battling Islamist groups in its semi-autonomous tribal belt since 2004, after its Army entered the region to search for Al Qaeda fighters who had fled across the border following the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan.
In June the Army began a long-awaited offensive against militant hideouts in North Waziristan after a bloody raid on Karachi’s international airport ended faltering peace talks between the government and the Taliban.
The Army claims it has killed more than 1,100 militants and lost 100 soldiers since the start of the operation. The number and identity of those killed is difficult to verify as there is little regular media access to the conflict zone.