Saturday, January 7 2006 19:36 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Atleast 16 people were killed, including Pakistani paramilitary soldiers, in separate incidents in the country's tribal North Waziristan area.

"Eight members of the paramilitary force were killed in a late night rocket attack on a checkpost by miscreants in North Waziristan tribal region," army spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan told Geo television.

The attack late last night on the temporary paramilitary 'Tochi Scouts' post was carried out in Mir Ali, a major town in North Waziristan tribal region, close to Afghanistan border where the army is hunting al Qaeda linked foreign suspects and their local supporters.

Hours after the strike, an aircraft attacked a home belonging to a local cleric along the Pakistan-Afghan border, about 50 kilometres west of the checkpoint, killing eight people and wounding seven others.

Reports from the area said US helicopters bombed the house of one Haji Noor Muhammad, killing two children, a woman and five other civilians.

Locals were quoted as saying that seven other people were injured in the attack on Saidgey border area, some 12 kilometers from Miran Shah, the headquarters of North Waziristan.

Sultan said that an investigation is on. "We have received reports of some casualties," he said but did not give any more details.