Islamabad - A suicide bomber killed at least five people in an attack on a pro-government tribal elder in Pakistan's restive north-west on Monday, police said. The bomber rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into a car carrying Abdul Hakim, a prominent member of an anti-Taliban militia, in the Bakakhel area, located 8 kilometers west of the town of Bannu.
"Abdul Hakim and four other people travelling with him died in the suicide bombing," police officer Mohammad Waqas said.
Hakim, a former rebel commander, joined a local pro-government militia formed three months ago against Taliban operating in the area. Bannu borders North Waziristan tribal district where Taliban and al-Qaeda have safe havens.
The assault on Monday was the latest in a series of militant attacks targeting the security forces and the local tribal elders supporting the government.
A Taliban fighter detonated a pickup truck packed with explosives outside a police station near Bannu on the weekend, killing 14 people - nine of them policemen.
On Thursday, at least 18 people died when gunmen ambushed a convoy of pro-government tribal leaders in the Janikhel area on the outskirts of Bannu.
