Suspected TTP terrorists have killed at least seven people in an armed attack on the office of a local "peace militia" in northwest Pakistan, police said.
The attack occurred late on Thursday night in the outskirts of the Bannu district of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Another two people were also wounded in the attack.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
However, security forces on Friday pointed fingers at the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a conglomerate of several terror groups, which has long been operating in Bannu and its adjoining areas, including the North Waziristan district.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a statement, condemned the attack and directed the authorities to mobilise all available resources to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Pakistan has accused neighbouring Afghanistan of sheltering TTP terrorists and of being responsible for a surge in cross-border attacks. The violence perpetrated by the group within Pakistan has significantly strained its relations with the interim Afghan Taliban administration.
The Pakistani government has urged the Afghan Taliban to dismantle the alleged sanctuaries of the TTP terrorist group inside Afghanistan.
According to Pakistani military officials, more than 500 people, including over 311 soldiers, have been killed in attacks, largely carried out by the TTP, so far this year.
