The raid, the third in less than 24 hours, was carried out in North Waziristan, a major sanctuary for Al-Qaeda and Taleban on the Afghan border.

"At least eight missiles were fired and at least 12 militants were killed," a security official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Another security official said those killed were "Punjabi Taleban," a term used for militants from the central Pakistani province of Punjab, who were working closely with the Haqqani network, one of the brutal Afghan militant factions fighting US-led foreign forces across the border.

Named after veteran mujahideen leader Jalaluddin Haqqani, the group is now led by his son Siraj and is closely linked to Al-Qaeda. North Waziristan is a major base for Haqqani.

The pre-dawn strike took place in Dargah Mandi, a village on the outskirts of North Waziristan's main town of Miranshah.

An intelligence official in North Waziristan said a cousin of Siraj was killed and several of his relatives wounded in a missile strike on Tuesday in the region.

Security analysts say the intensification in missile strikes, particularly in North Waziristan, could be linked to the delay by Pakistan in launching new anti-Taleban offensives as it struggles to cope with August's devastating floods.

The Pakistani army has diverted more than 60,000 of its men for flood rescue and relief operations though the army says it had not redeployed any of the 140,000 soldiers fighting militants in the volatile northwest near the Afghan border. Pakistan has an estimated force of about 550,000 soldiers.

"Americans know that the Pakistan army could not take any major action in tribal areas for a long time, therefore, they have no other viable alternative to this strategy (of missile attacks) right now," said Rahimullah Yusufzai, an expert on Taleban affairs.
 
PAKISTAN

Pakistan, a crucial US ally for its efforts to stabilise Afghanistan, has launched major offensives against homegrown militants attacking the Pakistani state but the United States has long demanded its ally extend its crackdown on Afghan militant factions, particularly the Haqqani network.

A senior Pakistani security official said stepped up missile strikes were not "unexpected."

"We were expecting them to intensify pressure on militants on both sides of the border as they go for the troop build-up in Afghanistan. It's part of that strategy and I think they will continue with this policy," he said.

He said there could be some "minor adjustments" in the Pakistani military's fight against militants due to floods; in some places, the army has shifted to a defensive posture but there was no change in overall strategy.

"We can't afford to lower guards. How can it be done when they are still attacking and exploding bombs?"

Militants have killed at least 140 people in three suicide bombings this month, breaking a relative lull in violence after the floods struck.

On Wednesday two soldiers were wounded when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in the Khyber tribal region on the Afghan border, officials said. Two dozen suspected militants were arrested from the volatile region.

The Pakistani Taleban also claimed responsibility for killing a journalist in the northwestern town of Hangu for not giving coverage to their activities.