A suicide bomber in Pakistan killed at least eight people and wounded 20 in an explosion near the house of a provincial minister who has repeatedly spoken out against the Taliban, police said today.
The Taliban said they were behind the explosion in Pabbi town, 25km east of the provincial capital, Peshawar, which came two days after suspected militants shot dead minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain's only son.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing, warning of more violence to come.
Police said the bomber was targeting Mr Hussain and guests who had gone to his house to offer condolences over his son's death.
"He was a young boy. He was trying to cross the checkpost but when our policemen caught him, he exploded himself," a police officer said of the bomber.
The officer told reporters that Mr Hussain, a member of the Awami Nationalist Party (ANP) which opposed militancy in the province, had received threats from the Taliban.
While claiming responsibility for the attack, a Taliban spokesman warned that other members of the ANP, which is the ruling party in the province, would also be targeted.
"It's just beginning. We'll target them because they are friends of Americans and they have to pay for it," a Taliban spokesman said.
Militants linked to al-Qaeda have carried out a wave of attacks across Pakistan in recent months despite losing ground in military offensives in the northwest.
Pakistan has faced an insurgency by Islamist groups who oppose Islamabad's support for Washington's fight against militancy and want to impose harsh, Taliban-style rule in the nuclear-armed Muslim country.
The United States wants Pakistan to crush the insurgency and help it stabilise neighbouring Afghanistan.
Pakistan began military operations against militants in strongholds in the northwestern Swat Valley and tribal lands last year. The military says its forces have largely cleared the areas of militants.
Reuters
