At least 13 people have been killed in a suspected US missile strike on a compound in Pakistan's North Waziristan district, close to the Afghan border.
At least five other people were wounded in the strike on Saturday in Essori, a village 20km east of Miranshah, the main town in the tribal district, local officials said.
The strike occurred during the evening Ramadan prayers.
The United States has intensified missile strikes using pilotless drone aircrafts in Pakistan's northwest tribal.
US drone strikes are unpopular in Pakistan and the government in Islamabad has repeatedly urged Washington to end them.
Pakistan says the attacks kill civilians, stoking resentment among the local population.
The attacks also undermine Pakistani sovereignty, Islamabad says.
But the US has persisted with the drone attacks, saying "they are effective means to deal" with Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters operating in Pakistan's border areas with Afghanistan.
PHOTO CAPTION
A US Predator unmanned drone armed with a missile is seen on the tarmac.
Agencies