Suicide attack

More than 35 people have been wounded in an attack in the Lower Dir district near the Afghan border, where Taliban militants have carried out several attacks over recent years. "It was a suicide attack and it happened when people were offering funeral prayers," police said. Many of those injured have been transported to the hospital.

According to the police, around 200 mourners were attending the open-air funeral of a member of the local militia, Bakhat Khan, when the bomber struck.

Militias against the Taliban

Tribesmen in Pakistan's northwest have formed several militias to fight against Taliban insurgents. These militias receive funding from the government and have had some success in keeping militants out of their territory. However, they have been regular targets for terrorist attacks.

The Pakistan-based Tehrik e Taliban claimed responsibility for an attack on a school bus on Tuesday which killed five people, saying the children on the bus were from a pro-government tribe.

In a separate incident, militants on August 31 abducted over 20 teenage tribesmen from Pakistan’s northwestern Bajaur region. The abducted had been out on an outing in Afghanistan's border province of Kunar. The Pakistani Taliban have demanded the release of scores of prisoners and an end to support of offensives against them.

Taliban and al-Qaeda-linked networks have killed more than 4,630 people since 2007.

Author: Manasi Gopalakrishnan (AFP, Reuters)
Editor: Sarah Berning