A missile attack believed to have been launched by US drone aircraft killed at least 10 militants in South Waziristan, the area where Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud is said to have been killed last week, intelligence officials and residents said.
The missiles targeted a training camp near the village of Ladda, in the heart of the Mehsud tribe's territory, the officials said.
Hamdullah Mehsud, a resident, said three missiles were fired into the sprawling house of a villager used as a training camp by the militants.
"So far, eight bodies have been pulled out of the rubble," he said. Five people were wounded, he added.
A similar attack last Wednesday hit the house of father-in-law of Mehsud in Makeen, another stronghold of the Taliban, in South Waziristan. Pakistani officials say Mehsud, his second wife and bodyguards were killed in the attack. However, Taliban commanders deny the death of their leader.
It is difficult to independently verify the claims and counter-claims because Mehsud tribal lands are very remote and inaccessible.
Reuters