Anti-Taliban mayor killed by suicide bomber

A SUICIDE bomber blew himself up yesterday in a crowded market in northwestern Pakistan, killing an anti-Taliban mayor who had formed a militia to fight the militants and 11 other people, officials said.

A purported Taliban commander claimed responsibility for the bombing.

The Taliban have carried out a series of attacks in recent weeks aimed at pressuring the government to abandon an offensive launched in mid-October in South Waziristan, the main Taliban and al-Qaida sanctuary in the country.