The incident in Mamund town in Bajur tribal zone comes days after Pakistan protested to the US military in Afghanistan over the deaths of another eight people in cross-border firing.
Residents said a pair of helicopters launched missiles and a bomb early on Friday, destroying three houses including that of Gul Zaman, member of an outlawed Islamic extremist group.
"Two helicopters fired five missiles and dropped a bomb and the attack demolished three houses. Among the dead were five women, five children and eight men," resident Haji Bakhtullah said.
Pakistani military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan said that authorities had not confirmed the casualty toll in Bajur's Mamund town because the area is very remote.
"There have been one or two explosions but we don't have details of what caused them. We have had heard reports of a death toll between 11 and 14 but we have no confirmation," Sultan said.
Pakistan has pushed around 70,000 soldiers into the tribal areas to flush out Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters who fled Afghanistan after the US-led invasion in late 2001.
No one claimed responsibility for the latest attack but locals speculated that it was carried out by the US military. The US-led coalition in Afghanistan was not immediately available for comment.
Bajur borders Afghanistan's troubled Kunar province, where suspected Taliban rebels shot down a Chinook helicopter killing 16 US servicemen in June last year.
Zaman belonged to a group called Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi which was outlawed by President Pervez Musharraf in January 2002 after it sent thousands of volunteers to support the Taliban.
On Monday Pakistan's foreign ministry said it had lodged a strong protest with US forces in Afghanistan after eight people in North Waziristan tribal area were killed by gunfire across the border last weekend.
Pakistan said a senior Egyptian Al Qaeda commander named Hamza Rabia died in North Waziristan in December when munitions exploded inside his house. Locals said he was killed by a missile fired from a US drone.
© 2005 Agence France-Presse
To add a comment,
Please log in:
Don't have an account?
Register now to comment on stories and stay up to date on important events and issues in the Middle East with our newsletter.