A spate of bombings this week has claimed at least 14 lives and wounded dozens in Pakistan's northwest, testing ongoing efforts by the new civilian government to strike peace deals with militants.
On Tuesday, a roadside bomb exploded near a military truck, wounding five troops and one civilian. Local police chief Ibrahim Khan said the bomb was apparently attached to a bicycle when it went off in Kohat, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) south of Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province.
The blast followed one late Monday in the Bajur tribal area that killed three, among them a local militant commander, and a weekend suicide bomb attack in Mardan, which killed 11 and injured more than 20.
Pakistan's northwest is a stronghold of pro-Taliban fighters opposed to Islamabad's support for the U.S.-led war on terror.
The new civilian government in Pakistan is pursuing peace deals with militants via tribal elders, a step away from the more heavy-handed tactics of President Pervez Musharraf.
Western officials are concerned the peace initiative could allow militants to regroup and launch attacks across the border in Afghanistan, where U.S. and NATO-led forces are deployed.
Despite the criticism and attacks, Pakistan leaders appear determined to keep talking.
Rehman Malik, the head of Pakistan's Interior Ministry, told journalists in Peshawar on Tuesday that the government wanted the tribes to support the peace process.
"Consultation and advice is vital in politics," Malik said. "We want tribal people to put aside their fear and participate in the peace process."
He indicated the government would agree to a key demand of militants by compensating civilians affected by military operations.
However, he said the army would continue to stay in the northwest for now, deflecting a demand from militants that the military withdraw.
Tens of thousands of soldiers have been deployed in the region to battle extremists, and many of the bomb attacks have been aimed at the troops.
Sunday's suicide bombing appeared to be targeting a military base in Mardan, and four soldiers were among the 11 killed.
Also complicating the peace efforts are the myriad groups associated with the Taliban, not all of whom get along.
For instance, the blast late Monday, which occurred outside a mosque in Bajur, left a local militant commander among the three dead. Muhammad Jamil, a government official who confirmed the blast, said it may have been spurred by rivalry among militant groups.
Maulvi Umar, a militant spokesman, said Sunday's attack was carried out by a local Taliban branch in revenge for Pakistani military operations in the nearby Darra Adam Khel district. He also said it was in revenge for a U.S. missile strike that killed about a dozen people in Bajur.
Nonetheless, he indicated that militants would continue negotiating with the government.
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Associated Press writers Munir Ahmad and Zarar Khan in Islamabad and Habibullah Khan in Khar contributed to this report.
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