Bomber kills nine at anti-Taliban commander’s Pakistan compound

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NEW DELHI –- A suicide bomber attacked an anti-Taliban commander’s compound in northeastern Pakistan on Saturday, killing at least nine people and injuring more than a dozen others.

The attack in Kurram, part of the tribal regions bordering Afghanistan, was apparently directed at militant commander Mullah Nabi, who was formerly a member of the Pakistani Taliban but broke away to form his own group. Nabi was unhurt in the attack.

At least three children were among the dead, the Associated Press reported, quoting tribal police. The bomber reportedly tried to get into the guest quarters of Nabi’s compound but instead detonated his explosives when stopped and questioned by security.

The Pakistani Taliban has taken responsibility for the attack, local media reported. The injured, several reportedly in critical condition, were evacuated to a hospital in a neighboring district.

Over the years, there’s been substantial fighting among different factions of the Pakistani Taliban over territory and leadership roles, even as they engage in a protracted fight against the government. For several months, the Pakistani military has been conducting operations against militant groups in the tribal regions.

The Afghan and Pakistani Taliban differ significantly in their aims, history and leadership, although they share a common interpretation of Islam and are both predominantly Pashtun.

In a separate attack Saturday, assailants killed eight members of the Pakistan coast guard at a camp in the southwest port city of Gwadar in Baluchistan province, the Associated Press reported. Six reportedly died immediately and two others succumbed to their wounds. No group has claimed responsibility in that attack. Islamabad has been fighting nationalist militants in Baluchistan for nearly a decade.

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--Mark Magnier