MIRAMSHAH, Sept 6: Four people, two of them foreigners, were killed and one person was injured when Cobra helicopters attacked the Jalier area in North Waziristan Agency on Thursday.

Local people said two pedestrians were killed in the firing by the helicopters in the area, about 20km north of the Mirali town, at about 11.15am. Names of the dead, who were local residents, could not be ascertained.

Later, combat helicopters targeted a car in the same area, killing two people and seriously injuring one. Sources said the deceased were foreigners.

There were unconfirmed reports that a number of other people had been killed.

A report by AP news agency quoted intelligence officials as saying that an army helicopter opened fire on a vehicle carrying suspected militants near the Afghan border, killing seven people inside.

It was not immediately clear what prompted the army attack. The officials said local authorities were trying to identity the slain men.

One of the officials said seven militants had been killed in the strike. The second official said the slain men included a foreigner. He did not elaborate.