September 3, 2008 - Officials and witnesses in north-west Pakistan say at least 15 people have been killed in an attack involving US-led forces from Afghanistan.

The attack is said to have involved helicopters in the tribal area of South Waziristan, close to the Afghan border.

The US-led coalition in Afghanistan told the Associated Press that it had no report of any such incident. Security has deteriorated sharply in recent weeks along the Pakistani border with Afghanistan.

There is mounting US pressure on the Pakistani government to crack down on militants, who use the border region to launch raids into Afghanistan.

The Afghan government and Nato say that the border region is a haven for al-Qaeda and Taleban militants. Pakistan says it is doing all it can to curb militancy.

The BBC's Dilawar Khan Wazir says witnesses told him Nato troops in three helicopters landed in the Musa Nikeh area, located on the border with Afghanistan, at about 0300 (2100 GMT).

Most people in the area were awake at this early hour because of the fasting month of Ramadan. Some of the troops entered the house of a local tribesman, opened fire and then lobbed a bomb in the house, witnesses said.

They said at least nine bodies had been recovered from the debris. They included two women and two children. The witnesses said the family was not known for links with militants.

On Monday, Pakistan's military suspended its operations against Taleban militants in the neighbouring Bajaur tribal area. The government said this suspension of fighting was in honour of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.