PESHAWAR, (Pakistan) - AT least 15 people including civilians were killed in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday in a raid involving gunship helicopters used by international troops in Afghanistan, security officials said.

'Four gunship helicopters from across the border carried out the raid,' a top security official told wire agencies.

A local official in the South Waziristan tribal district claimed the helicopters dropped NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) soldiers in the border village of Jalal Khel and flew them back after the attack.

Mr Mowaz Khan said women and children were among those killed in the pre-dawn attack when residents were having their last meal before fasting as part of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

However, a spokesman for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's ISAF in Afghanistan said they were not aware of such an operation.

He added that ISAF does not have a mandate to attack outside the borders of Afghanistan unless its troops come under fire from inside Pakistan.

In such circumstances, the force can only use artillery from Afghanistan.

Pakistan's army said there had been an attack.

'We confirm an attack was carried out in a border village and we are gathering details,' Pakistan army spokesman major Murad Khan said. -- AFP