Mayor, 11 others killed in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- The Taliban have claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed a local mayor and 11 others in northwest Pakistan Sunday.

Mayor Abdul Malik, of Matni, was outside his home when a car drove up and detonated 22 pounds of explosives, District Coordination officer Shahibzada Anis Khan told CNN.

Malik's son was critically injured and a young girl and five young men were among those killed in the bombing, authorities said. At least 36 people were injured in the attack on the outskirts of Peshawar.

A local Taliban leader told CNN there had been several attempts to kill Malik, who was in charge of organizing volunteers in Matni to fight militants.

Until a couple of years ago, Malik supported the Taliban and then switched sides after disagreeing with Taliban strategies, especially the targeting of civilians, a senior government official told CNN.