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Suicide attack on Pakistan security checkpoint kills 12

  • Story Highlights
  • NEW: Truck exploded before it rammed into checkpoint, killing bystanders, pedestrians
  • NEW: Security forces opened fire on truck as it approached checkpoint
  • Air strike targeted a home in Datakhel, a village in Waziristan, according to official
  • Strike is the 11th suspected U.S. missile strike this year
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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- At least 12 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack on a security checkpoint in Pakistan's tribal region, a local military official said.

Security forces opened fire on a truck packed with explosives as it approached the checkpoint in the Miranshah area of North Waziristan, the military official told CNN.

The attack happened about 1:30 p.m. local time ( 4:30 a.m. ET) Saturday. The official says the truck blew up before it rammed into the checkpoint, killing bystanders and pedestrians, including five children.

The official asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

Earlier suspected U.S. missile strike killed at least 12 people in a tribal region in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday morning, local political and military sources said.

The air strike targeted a home in Datakhel, a village in North Waziristan, according to political official Shahab Ali Shah.

A Pakistani military official said as many as 18 people could have been killed in the strike.

Based on CNN tally, Saturday's strike is the 11th suspected U.S. missile strike this year.

The U.S-led coalition and NATO -- based in Afghanistan -- have been seeking a way to effectively battle militants who are launching attacks from the swath of tribal areas along the border.

They have become frustrated with Islamabad over the years, saying it is not being proactive enough against militants -- a claim Pakistan denies.

The United States is the only country operating in the region known to have the capability to launch missiles from drones, which are controlled remotely.

The attacks, which have claimed dozens of lives, have angered many Pakistani officials.

The U.S. military in Afghanistan routinely offers no comment on reported cross-border strikes.

CNN's Reza Sayah contributed to this report.

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