The strikes were the latest on extremists in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan -- all said to have been launched by unmanned CIA aircraft -- that have raised tensions between Washington and Islamabad.

Two missiles "fired by US drones" struck the villages of Karikot and Shin Warsak in troubled South Waziristan, a senior security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"Two vehicles fitted with guns were destroyed," the official said, adding that those killed were all inside the cars, which were camouflaged with mud and grass.

It was not immediately clear if any senior Taliban or Al-Qaeda operatives were killed in the strikes, which took place just minutes apart, he said.

Local intelligence sources said they believed the militants killed were members of local Pakistani Taliban groups.

The strikes caused huge fires in both villages, sending panicked residents running into the streets, the security official said, adding that one house was damaged.

Hundreds of Taliban fighters later gathered in the two villages -- both outside Wana, the main town in South Waziristan -- to say funeral prayers for those killed, local residents told AFP.

The suspected US strikes have continued despite a warning by Taliban militants based in tribal territory last month that any more would lead to reprisal attacks across Pakistan.

A spokesman for local Taliban commander Mullah Nazir told reporters that Nazir had pledged to seek revenge for Monday's attack "within three days".

A US missile attack late last month killed Rashid Rauf, the alleged Al-Qaeda mastermind of a 2006 transatlantic airplane bombing plot, as well as an Egyptian Al-Qaeda operative, security officials have said.

Pakistan has repeatedly protested to the United States that the strikes violate its territorial sovereignty and deepen resentment among the 160 million people of the nuclear-armed Islamic nation.

Saleh Shah, a Pakistani senator from the tribal areas, strongly condemned Monday's attacks, saying they were "counterproductive" and would not help restore peace and order in the region.

President Asif Ali Zardari recently promised zero tolerance for violations of his country's sovereignty, but some officials say there is a tacit understanding between the two militaries to allow such action.

More than two dozen similar strikes have been carried out since August, killing more than 200 people, most of them militants.

The top-ranking US military official -- Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff -- arrived in Islamabad on Monday for talks with senior Pakistani officials, officials from both sides said.

Islamabad has come under increased pressure to quash militant activity within its borders, with Washington and Kabul saying it has not done enough to stop militants crossing the border to attack US and NATO troops in Afghanistan.

Pakistan rejects those accusations, pointing to its operation against militants in the semi-autonomous Bajaur region bordering Afghanistan. The military says more than 1,500 rebels have been killed there since August.

Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden is widely believed to be hiding in Pakistan's rugged border region, although there is no clear information about his whereabouts.

US Vice President Dick Cheney said at the weekend that he was unsure if bin Laden -- held responsible by Washington for the September 11, 2001 attacks -- was even still alive.

Karzai asks to be consulted on future US military moves
Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Monday asked the top US military officer to ensure that his government is consulted on the deployment next year of tens of thousands of new troops, his office said.

Karzai made the request during a meeting with Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, who at the weekend announced that up to 30,000 additional US troops would be sent to Afghanistan by next summer.

"Hamid Karzai asked the US chief of staff for more details on his country's decision to send 20,000 to 30,000 new troops to Afghanistan," the Afghan presidency said in a statement.

"The Afghan government must be consulted on deployment of more troops, especially stationing of forces, type of military operations and participation of the Afghan national army in operations," it said, quoting Karzai.

The statement quoted Mullen as saying that most of the fresh troops would be deployed in areas where Taliban and other insurgents are most active, notably along Afghanistan's southern and eastern borders with Pakistan.

Karzai has repeatedly asked that the bulk of the 70,000 troops under NATO and US command in Afghanistan be deployed in those areas in order to stop militants crossing over from Pakistan to attack US and NATO forces.

The Afghan leader, a key US ally, also told Mullen that US forces should limit civilian casualties, and stop conducting house searches at night and arbitrary detentions without prior coordination with Afghan security forces.

He said such activities should be stopped as "people's cooperation and support is vital for success in counter-terrorism operations," according to the statement.

Civilians are often caught up in Afghanistan's conflict as international and Afghan troops battle extremist insurgents, including those from the Taliban who were in government between 1996 and 2001.

Karzai asked Mullen to conduct a full investigation into an incident last week in eastern Khost province in which three people were killed. The US military said they were militants, but locals insisted they were civilians.

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