(AKI) - Taliban militants attacked the home of Pakistani Senator Waqar Ahmed Khan in the Swat Valley in the North West Frontier Province on Monday, killing his brother, two of his nephews and five guards. Khan, who was not home at the time, is a member of the ruling Awami National Party in the Shah Dheri area. Khan was elected to the Senate of Pakistan for the first time in 1994 as the youngest ever member of the Upper House of Parliament.
The attack comes after an ongoing offensive against Taliban militants by government security forces in the past few weeks. Pakistani troops said they had killed at least 35 militants at the weekend.
Also on Monday, Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik announced a ban on the militant Tehrik-i-Taliban after militants claimed responsibility for a string of attacks and suicide bombings recently. The militant group may have its bank accounts and assets frozen, according to some media reports.
The TTP is headed by Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud and is based in the volatile South Waziristan tribal district bordering Afghanistan. Mehsud, a member of South Waziristan's Mehsud tribe, has emerged as Pakistan's most feared militant over the past year.