Official: Tribesmen kill, hang bodies of 2 militants in Pakistan region as violence flares

Pakistani official: Tribesmen kill, hang militants

KHAR, Pakistan — A government official says Pakistani tribesmen shot two militants to death and hung their bodies from an electricity pole in a region bordering Afghanistan where insurgent activity is on the upswing.

The incident comes as authorities probe reports that Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud died in a U.S. missile strike elsewhere in the northwest.

Official Abdul Malik says the bodies were displayed Tuesday in the Inayat Kali area in Bajur tribal region.

Bajur was the focus of a previous Pakistani army offensive that seemed largely successful in clearing out the Taliban and al-Qaida. But insurgents have recently staged a comeback.

Malik also said security forces had killed eight more militants in overnight raids in the region.