Pakistani officials say a suspected U.S. drone fired missiles at a house in northwest Pakistan, killing at least six people. Officials say foreign militants are among the dead.
The incident occurred in North Waziristan, a tribal region bordering Afghanistan and a known stronghold for Taliban and al-Qaida militants.
Suspected U.S. strikes into Pakistan have become a point of contention in recent weeks. Pakistan's president, Asif Ali Zardari, has called the alleged raids a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty.
Separately, officials said Pakistani troops backed by helicopter gunships killed 13 Taliban militants in the northwestern Bajaur tribal region.
The Pakistani military is trying to drive out militants accused of making deadly attacks inside Pakistan and in neighboring Afghanistan.
Last week, Pakistan's military said it had killed at least 1,000 militants since launching the offensive in Bajaur in August. It said more than 60 soldiers have been killed.
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In related news, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shujaa Pasha was recently appointed as head of the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence, Pakistan's main spy agency.
Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shujaa Pasha oversaw military offensives against militants in the border regions with Afghanistan in his most recent job as director general of military operations.
Pasha, who commanded U.N. troops in Sierra Leone in 2001-2002 and was appointed last year by the world body as an adviser on peacekeeping operations, replaced Lt. Gen. Nadeem Taj, a close aide to Musharraf.
Analysts agreed the appointment should unify Pakistan's anti-terrorism fight.
"Now you have a team in place that includes the new ISI chief ... who shares Kayani's view of how to deal with the insurgency in the tribal area and that is to adopt a tough line," said defense analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi.
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