A roadside bomb planted by suspected militants has killed a pro-government tribal elder and eight others in a remote Pakistani tribal area near the Afghan border.
Officials say the victims were traveling in a vehicle that hit the roadside bomb near Shakai town in South Waziristan tribal district. They say four other people were injured.
Locals say pro-government tribal elder Malik Khajan supported President Pervez Musharraf's drive to flush out foreign militants from the region.
Militants have routinely targeted pro-government tribesmen in the rugged region being used as a hideout by pro-Taleban militants.
Pakistani army has been cracking down on al-Qaida and Taleban militants who sneaked into the region after the fall of Taleban in neighboring Afghanistan.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.