Two missiles apparently fired by a US drone aircraft demolished a house and a compound used by suspected Al-Qaeda militants in Bajaur tribal region near the border with Afghanistan, the official, who declined to be identified, told AFP.

"We have reports that the missile strike killed at least 12 militants including some foreigners," the official said.

The houses targetted belonged to Maulvi Taj Mohammad and Maulvi Hassan, the official said, though it was unclear if they had been killed in the strikes.

"Both were Al-Qaeda facilitators," he said, adding there was an ammunition dump in one of the houses.

Separately, chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told AFP that the army was unaware of any missile strike in the region.

"We have no information about the strike," he said, adding the army was not in the area.

Similar missile attacks in the past have claimed the lives of several militants in Pakistan's volatile tribal belt.

Although there were no immediate claims of responsibility Wednesday, a US Predator drone targetted Al-Qaeda's deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Damadola in January 2006, killing several rebels but missing him.

A similar missile strike on a pro-Taliban militant camp in another tribal area killed 10 people in November last year, though it was not clear who was responsible.

Pakistan's army at the time said it was not involved while the US-led coalition in Afghanistan, the only force known to operate drones in the area, said it was not aware of any activity.

The attack on Wednesday came as NATO urged Pakistan to improve security on its border with Afghanistan following a rise in cross-border attacks by Taliban fighters and Al-Qaeda militants.

"The number of attacks is up significantly from the same period last year," the alliance's chief spokesman James Appathurai said in Brussels. "There is not enough effectiveness in border control on Pakistan's side."

"The concerns have been communicated to Pakistan," he told reporters.

The Taliban, ousted from power in Afghanistan in late 2001 for harbouring Osama bin Laden, have been using Pakistan's lawless tribal belt to stage attacks in Afghanistan.

Pakistan this week moved its troops away from villages and towns in a volatile tribal region bordering Afghanistan as a peace process moves forward, officials said Wednesday.

As part of the process, more than 30 tribesmen held in various prisons were freed Tuesday in return for the release of a dozen soldiers detained by pro-Taliban militants, a security official said.

The new government in North West Frontier Province bordering Afghanistan, which replaced the pro-Taliban Islamist administration after February elections, has launched peace talks with the militants led by Al-Qaeda-linked Pakistani warlord Baitullah Mehsud, local officials said.

"Talks are being held behind closed doors," a senior government official told AFP. "Some progress has been made," he said but did not elaborate.

It was not clear what impact Wednesday's missile strikes would have on those talks.

The United States has expressed concern about any peace deal between Pakistan and militant fighters.

Pakistan's military said troop positions across the restive region were being "readjusted," with soldiers being moved away from towns and villages.

The moves were mainly to facilitate the return of people who had fled the area due to previous unrest, the military said.

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