Pakistani politician killed in bomb attack

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack that claimed the lives of eight people, including a top politician in the area.

The attack killed Bashir Ahmad Bilour, a senior minister in the northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, The New York Times reported.

Eight people were killed in the attack, including Bilour's secretary and a police officer, and more than 15 others were injured, local officials said.

The Pakistani Taliban on Saturday claimed responsibility for the attack.

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf expressed shock, calling Bilour's death "a national loss."