Pakistani villagers attack militants

ISLAMABAD – Hundreds of Pakistani tribesmen furious over a deadly suicide bombing at a mosque laid siege to several Taliban strongholds in their troubled northwestern region, killing at least 11 militants, officials said Sunday.

The weekend clashes appeared to be the latest evidence of growing anti-Taliban sentiment in U.S.-allied Pakistan.

The attack on the mosque left 33 worshippers dead and wounded dozens more during Friday prayers, angering residents of the Haya Gai area of Upper Dir district who have had tensions with local militants for months.

Some 400 villagers banded together to attack five villages in the nearby Dhok Darra area that were known militant strongholds, an official said.

The citizens’ militia has occupied three of the villages since Saturday and was trying to push the Taliban out of the other two Sunday. Some 20 houses suspected of harboring Taliban were destroyed. District police Chief Ejaz Ahmad said around 200 militants were surrounded by the villagers.

The government has encouraged local citizens to set up militias, known as lashkars, to oust Taliban fighters, especially in the regions that border Afghanistan where al-Qaida and the Taliban have hide-outs. But villagers’ willingness to do so has often hinged on confidence that authorities will back them up if necessary.