Taliban claim responsibility for Pakistan blast

Eight people were killed and another 12 wounded in the blast at an open-air restaurant in the border village of Pashta

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- The Taliban are claiming responsibility for Saturday's bombing in northwest Pakistan that killed eight people and injured 12, saying it was part of a series of attacks to avenge the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
Pakistan has been rocked in recent weeks by bombings targeting coalition security forces as well as anti-Taliban militias, high-profile attacks that U.S. officials have said are being conducted by insurgents who want to demonstrate their ability to strike following the killing of bin Laden.
The blast Saturday occurred at an open air restaurant in the village of Pashta along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where members of an anti-Taliban, pro-government militia were meeting, said Muhammad Jamil, a senior government official in Bajaur Agency.
"All those who are working for the U.S. and Pakistani government are our target," Taliban spokesman Ihsan UIlah Ihsan said in a telephone call to CNN claiming responsibility.
Ihsan said the militia was targeted because it is killing Taliban members.
The blast occurred in Bajaur Agency, the equivalent of a county, that borders Afghanistan's volatile Kunar Province.
The attack comes on the heels of new revelations that bin Laden considered seeking a deal with Pakistan under which al Qaeda leaders in the country would be protected and, in return, al Qaeda would refrain from attacking Pakistan.
The revelation surfaced as American agents analyzed the documents that were seized in a May 2 raid on bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, a U.S. official told CNN Friday. The official was not authorized to speak on the record.
The documents show the al Qaeda leader communicated with his operations chief, Atiya Abdul Rahman, about a possible deal with Pakistan, said the official, who was not authorized to speak on the record.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Pakistan Friday for talks with leaders aimed at repairing the tattered relationship between the two countries in the wake of bin Laden's killing.