Homes of Anti-Taliban Tribal Elders Attacked in Pakistan

Militants in Pakistan have attacked the homes of two pro-government elders in the country's northwest, killing one of them in apparent retaliation for a government offensive in a Taliban stronghold.

Pakistani police say gunmen shot and killed anti-Taliban tribal elder Malik Sher Zaman at his home in the Bajur tribal region on Sunday and blew up the building.

In the other attack, police say militants approached the home of a village mayor near the city of Peshawar. Some of the attackers were covered by burqas traditionally worn by local Muslim women.

The police say guards confronted the burqa-wearing militants, triggering a gun battle in which three of the attackers were killed. Others fled the scene.

The mayor survived the assault. He had formed a local militia to help the Pakistani government fight the Taliban.

Militants have killed at least 300 people in Pakistan in a series of attacks in recent weeks. They say they are taking revenge for a government assault that begin in mid-October on the Taliban's stronghold in Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal region.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.