A missile fired by a suspected US drone hit a house in a Pakistani tribal area bordering Afghanistan, killing at least eight Islamist militants, mainly Arabs, officials said Wednesday.

The overnight attack was the latest in a string of incidents on the rugged frontier that have raised tensions between Islamabad and Washington, including a recent clash between Pakistani troops and US-led forces in Afghanistan.

The strike happened shortly after Pashtun tribesmen shot at three drones circling the village of Khusali Toorikhel in North Waziristan, a known haunt of Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants, security and administration officials said.

"After the drones came under fire a missile hit a house in the village," a local security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"At least eight militants were killed. They are all foreigners, mostly Arabs," the official said, adding that some of those were initially wounded and died of their injuries overnight.

Pakistani officials use the terms "foreign" and "Arab" to describe militants from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network, which took refuge in the tribal belt after the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan.

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