Pakistani officials say a teenage suicide bomber has killed a provincial politician in the country's volatile northwest.
Authorities say the bomber blew himself up Tuesday and killed assembly member Shamsher Ali Khan at his house in Kanju, about 30 kilometers northwest of the Swat Valley's major town, Mingora. Authorities say the attack occurred as the lawmaker was receiving guests at his home.
Officials say about a dozen people were injured, including Khan's brother.
Swat Valley was the focus of a military offensive to rid the northwestern area of Taliban militants.
Insurgents in Pakistan have killed hundreds in bombings since military forces launched another major offensive in South Waziristan two months ago.
On Monday, Pakistan's military reported deadly battles with militants in tribal areas north of the army's ongoing offensive in South Waziristan.
In Khyber agency, near the main northwest city of Peshawar, a Pakistani military officer says troops have killed at least 61 alleged militants and arrested more than 80 during recent operations.
Brigadier Fayyaz Mehmood Qamar told a news conference in Khyber Monday that Uzbeks and Afghans are among those arrested.
The military's account has not been independently verified.
Also Monday, another Pakistani spokesman, Major Fazalur Rehman, said security forces killed 10 suspected militants in the Kurram district, a predominately Shi'ite Muslim region that is also near the border with Afghanistan.
Pakistan forces launched a major anti-Taliban offensive in South Waziristan in mid-October. Military officials say around 500 militants have been killed in the offensive, but because reporters have been largely banned from the region, the claims have not been independently verified.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
