Authorities said that a suicide car bomber struck in northwest Pakistan on Sunday, killing 12 people, including a local mayor.

Responsibility for the attack, which injured at least 36 people in the outskirts of Peshawar, was claimed by the Taliban.

District Coordination Officer Shahibzada Anis Khan said that about 10 kilograms of explosives were used.

He added that the blast killed Matni-area Mayor Abdul Malik, who was outside his home when a car pulled up and detonated.

Abdul Hamid Afridi of Reading Hospital in Peshawar said that the mayor’s son was injured severely while a little girl and five young men were among the dead.

Malik was in charge of organizing Lashkhar, a local volunteer militia fighting militants.

A senior government official said that up until about two years ago, the mayor supported the Taliban. He switched sides after disagreeing with the group about its strategies, particularly the targeting of civilians.

(article source: CNN, photo source: Prophezine)