
A suicide bomber struck at a hotel in a busy market in FR Jandola on the edge of South Waziristan Agency, killing at least 11 people and injuring over 20 others.
The bomber struck at Rasool Dar Hotel in the busy Jandola bazaar in Tank district of Dera Ismail Khan, as scores of anti-Taliban militants sat down for their meals, TV channels quoted officials as saying.
Officials said the roadside restaurant's visitors at the time included some two dozen militants opposed to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan leader Baitullah Mehsud.
The attack targeted Turkistan Bittani, a pro-government tribal leader who is a rival of warlord Baitullah Mehsud, officials said.
Bittani, who has been helping the military take on Mehsud, had left the restaurant minutes before the attack.
Local resident Ibrahim Khan told The Associated Press that he was not far away from the restaurant when he saw some armed men trying to capture a young man.
"As the armed men grabbed that young man, he exploded a bomb," Khan said. He said he saw 11 bodies and at least 20 wounded people and helped them get into vehicles to head to hospitals.
Officials said the death toll could rise as some of the injured are in a serious condition.
Most of the injured were taken to hospitals in nearby areas as Tank district does not have adequate medical infrastructure to cope with the casualties.
Locals said the Bittani, rival of Mehsud who heads a pro-government committee and rival of, used to visit the hotel.
According to local administration the dead also include a member of Abdullah Mehsud group, who is also rival of Mehsud in the area.
Last year the Mehsud group had abducted 30 members of Bittani and had killed 28 of them.
The latest attack comes a day after announcement by the US State Department of a $5 million bounty for information leading to the capture of Mehsud.
The bomber struck at Rasool Dar Hotel in the busy Jandola bazaar in Tank district of Dera Ismail Khan, as scores of anti-Taliban militants sat down for their meals, TV channels quoted officials as saying.
Officials said the roadside restaurant's visitors at the time included some two dozen militants opposed to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan leader Baitullah Mehsud.
The attack targeted Turkistan Bittani, a pro-government tribal leader who is a rival of warlord Baitullah Mehsud, officials said.
Bittani, who has been helping the military take on Mehsud, had left the restaurant minutes before the attack.
Local resident Ibrahim Khan told The Associated Press that he was not far away from the restaurant when he saw some armed men trying to capture a young man.
"As the armed men grabbed that young man, he exploded a bomb," Khan said. He said he saw 11 bodies and at least 20 wounded people and helped them get into vehicles to head to hospitals.
Officials said the death toll could rise as some of the injured are in a serious condition.
Most of the injured were taken to hospitals in nearby areas as Tank district does not have adequate medical infrastructure to cope with the casualties.
Locals said the Bittani, rival of Mehsud who heads a pro-government committee and rival of, used to visit the hotel.
According to local administration the dead also include a member of Abdullah Mehsud group, who is also rival of Mehsud in the area.
Last year the Mehsud group had abducted 30 members of Bittani and had killed 28 of them.
The latest attack comes a day after announcement by the US State Department of a $5 million bounty for information leading to the capture of Mehsud.
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