The New Nation - Internet Edition

AP, Peshawar

A missile destroyed a suspected militant hideout in volatile northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing 12 people, officials said. In other clashes in the area, militants killed a soldier and injured four more.

Twelve dead in suspected Pakistan missile strike: officials

Intelligence officials said the dead were pro-Taliban militants, but residents said they were tribesmen staying at the house of a local elder in Khushali Tari Khel, a village on the outskirts of the town of Mir Ali.

"A missile came from an unknown direction on Monday night and hit the house, after which 12 people have died," a local administration official told AFP.

The Pakistani army was not immediately available for comment.

"The identities of the dead are not ascertained but we had reports that suspected them of being linked to the Taliban," an intelligence official said.

Pakistan's tribal belt has been identified by US officials as a major sanctuary for Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants plotting attacks on regional and international targets.

It was not clear who fired the missile but several previous attacks in the area have been attributed to US-led coalition forces across the border in Afghanistan.

Islamabad is loath to admit any US military action on its territory, given that President Pervez Musharraf has repeatedly rejected US offers for joint operations in Pakistan's troubled borderlands.