More than 14 people have been killed during an attack by a US drone attack in a Pakistani tribal district in the north-west of the country.

The air raid took place on Saturday on a village 15km north of Khar, the main town of the restive Bajaur tribal district in the north-west of the country.

According to a Pakistani government official, the drone attack targeted a Taliban hideout on a village 15 kilometers north of Khar, the main town of the restive Bajaur tribal district.

The Pakistani military claimed victory over the insurgents in the region earlier this year after months of fighting.

AFP quoted an unamed security official as saying that a house was targeted in Damadola village, adding all the dead were militants, including three foreigners.

But the deputy chief of the local administration Mohammad Jamil has said that for now he can only confirm "that 14 people have been killed in the drone attack and the toll is likely to rise."

Indiscriminate drone attacks by US forces have killed a large number of civilians in Pakistan's northwest since 2006. The attacks have sparked outrage among the public.

Based on an article published in The News in April, only 10 out of the 60 cross-border predator strikes carried out by the American drones in Pakistan were able to hit their actual targets while 687 Pakistani civilians were killed in the air raids.

The article noted that the success rate of the US drone strikes thus is estimated as to be not more than six percent.

MVZ/DT