Separately, a suspected US missile strike killed at least six Al Qaeda-linked militants in another tribal district.

The attack took place in the South Waziristan district, a stronghold of slain Pakistani Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud and a safe haven of militants conducting cross-border raids into Afghanistan on US-led international forces.

A US drone fired missiles on the house of Taliban-loyal tribesman Azam Mehmood in the Kani Guram area, killing six militants and wounding at least eight more, an intelligence official.

Most of those killed were Uzbek fighters with close links to Al Qaeda.

The Taliban leadership this week confirmed the death of Mehsud, who was hit Aug 5 in a similar aerial assault on the house of his father-in-law in the district's Makeen area.

Hakimullah Mehsud, the new Taliban chief and no relation to his predecessor, said the warlord was seriously wounded in the attack and died last weekend.