An anti-Taliban village mayor is among those killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the Pakistani city of Peshawar.

Tribal militia leader Abdul Malik and at least 11 other people perished when the bomber struck at a busy cattle market.

Officials say Malik had received threats in the past.

[Sahibzada Anees, District Coordination Officer]:
"It was a suicide attack. Local mayor Abdul Malik was the target. Our local mayor was leading a tribal militia and had a very active role in co-operation with police and local law enforcement agencies. He had been attacked many times before."

More than 30 other people have been wounded in the blast.

Islamist militants have unleashed a campaign of bomb and suicide attacks in Pakistan in recent weeks.

It's a backlash against a major offensive by security forces in the militants' main stronghold of South Waziristan.

The crackdown was launched last month to root out Pakistani Taliban militants blamed for a wave of violence in urban areas.

Troops have been advancing from three directions and by Friday had entered the militant headquarters of Makeen.