Taliban forces shot and killed a pro-government militia leader in Pakistan's Swat Valley region, in renewed violence that came despite a long military campaign.

About 50 Taliban militants attacked the home of Khalilur Rehman Wednesday in Shangla near Swat in northwest Pakistan, and gunned him down, Britain's Daily Telegraph reported.

The army is in the process of winding down its campaign in the region after claiming the three-month offensive was a success.

The Telegraph report said the killing of Rehman and the size of the attacking Taliban group pointed to the difficulty faced by the Pakistani government in curbing the militant violence.

The 60-year-old Rehman had formed a Lashkar, or a private tribal militia, to provide logistic support to the anti-Taliban groups, the report said.

"He was shot dead soon after he entered the meeting hall of his house," the Telegraph quoted senior police officer Gul Wali as saying.

The report said Pakistan claims the military's Swat operation resulted in the deaths of more than 1,800 militants and 166 soldiers. However, no local senior Taliban official has been killed or captured.

The beheaded body of a local police officer, who had earlier been reported kidnapped, was found this week in the region.