MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, 3 November 2007 — A missile destroyed a suspected militant hide-out in northwestern Pakistan near the Afghan border yesterday, killing 10 people inside and wounding 11.

It was not clear who fired the missile that struck a compound in Danday village on the outskirts of Miranshah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal region, an army official and two local security officials said.

US missiles are suspected of having struck alleged militant hide-outs in the past, but Washington insisted yesterday there was no indication the American military was involved.

Residents in Miranshah, about 20 km from the Afghan border, said they saw a low-flying drone an hour before hearing a loud explosion.

Militants blocked a reporter from approaching the building that was hit, and later took the dead and wounded from the scene, but it was not clear where. The two Pakistani officials said the victims were rebel fighters.

Pakistani forces have been battling pro-Taleban militants in North Waziristan, the scene of heavy fighting last month. The country is also under US pressure to crack down on militants in the region, amid concerns that Al-Qaeda could be regrouping there.

Spokesmen for Pakistan’s army and government did not respond to calls seeking comment, but the army official confirmed the attack, although he would not say who had launched it.

“I saw a spy plane about one hour before the explosion,” said local shop owner Arman Khan, adding that it came from the direction of the Afghan border. Two other residents had similar reports.

US Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said he did not think the US military launched the missile.

“There is no information this morning that would indicate that there was any US military involvement,” he said in Washington.

The CIA also operates unmanned vehicles in the region. Asked if the missile could have been launched by another US agency, Whitman said, “I only talk for the United States military.”

The strike came as a firebrand pro-Taleban cleric called for the withdrawal of troops from the scenic Swat Valley further north. Scores of people have been killed in the valley since last week, after the government sent around 2,000 troops to quell a violent campaign by Maulana Fazlullah to enforce Islamic law in the region. A delegation of clerics and local politicians met with Fazlullah yesterday to try to end the standoff. “Fazlullah has said he is ready to hold talks with the government,” Mohammad Amin, a local tribal politician, said.

He said Fazlullah set three conditions for the talks: the withdrawal of security forces from Swat, the enforcement of the Shariah and the withdrawal of all court cases against his followers.