Pakistani police sources said a former leader of a pro-government militia and seven others were killed in an explosion claimed by the local Taliban in northwestern Pakistan. The attack took place Tuesday in Kabala in the Swat Valley, a region controlled by the Pakistani Taliban between 2007 and 2009 at the start of their insurgency against the Pakistani state.

In this regard, Zahid Nawaz Marwat, chief of police in Swat district, told AFP that “Idries Khan, a former commander of the anti-Taliban militia in Pakistan, was killed when a roadside bomb exploded as his pickup truck passed a truck.” Another police source confirmed the killing of seven more people, two police officers, two security guards and three farm workers.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, noting that Idries Khan had killed members of the group in the past. Islamabad has for years encouraged the formation of local armed groups to counter the influence of the Pakistani Taliban. These groups were disbanded when the movement was curtailed due to intense army operations after 2014.