Suicide Attack Kills Seven Taliban Militants in Pakistan

A suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into a vehicle carrying Taliban militants in Pakistan's troubled northwest Tuesday, killing at least seven insurgents including a local commander, officials said.

The attack took place in the Mir Ali area, some 35 kilometers east of Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan tribal district, a hub of Taliban and al-Qaida linked militants.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility and the motive of the attack was not clear but militant groups in the past have carried out suicide attacks against each other in the tribal belt.

Qari Saifuddin, a local Pakistani Taliban commander, was travelling in a pick-up truck along with his associates when a suicide bomber smashed his explosive filled car into their vehicle.

"Taliban commander Qari Saifuddin and his six associates were killed on the spot," a local security official told Agence France Presse.

North Waziristan is one of seven semi-autonomous tribal regions along the Afghan border, which Washington considers to be a major hub of Taliban and al-Qaida militants plotting attacks on the West and in Afghanistan.