Head of Banned Pakistani Militant Group Shot Dead

Pakistani police say the leader of a banned Sunni Muslim militant group was shot dead Monday during an attack in the south.

A Pakistani paramilitary soldier stands guard at a tense area after the killing of an Islamic religious leader Ali Sher Haideri, in Karachi, 17 Aug 2009

Officials say gunmen killed Ali Sher Haideri and one of his companions as they were driving in Sindh province, northeast of Karachi. One of the attackers was also killed when Haideri's guards returned fire.

Police said the killing appeared to be related to a personal dispute - not sectarian violence.

Haideri led Sipah-e-Sahaba, a Sunni extremist group blamed for attacks against Pakistan's minority Shi'ites. The group was banned in 2002.

In a separate incident Monday, a truck bomb exploded at a fuel station in the northwest, killing at least six people. The blast hit the town of Charsada, near Peshawar. Officials say two women and at least two children were among the dead.

Pakistan banned Sipah-e-Sahaba in 2002 after joining the U.S.-led fight against terrorism following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

The U.S. State Department has labeled the group a terrorist organization.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.