Two suspected US missile strikes killed more than 20 people in Pakistani villages close to the Afghan border today, including an Iraqi al-Qaeda leader and foreign militants, officials said.

Estimates of the numbers killed ranged between 20 and 32. The attacks were thought to be the latest in a series of raids that have strained relations between Washington and Islamabad. The US military did not comment.

In the first attack two missiles hit a house in Mir Ali, a town in north Waziristan believed to be a sanctuary for Islamist militants. Between 15 and 20 people were reported dead. These included a man identified as an Iraqi al-Qaeda leader known as Abu Akash, Pakistani security officials said.

Soon afterwards two more missiles, thought to have been fired from a US drone, hit a house near Wana, the principal town of South Waziristan. The building was thought to be a militant hideout and killed up to 12 suspected rebels. A Taleban commander, Mullah Nazir, was also reported wounded.

Abu Akash was a well-known militant in the region. “He is a mid-level al-Qaeda man who was leading a high-profile life in Mir Ali,” one intelligence official said. His real name is thought to be Abdur Rehman and he had been living in the area near Mir Ali since coming from Afghanistan in 2002.

He was believed to have gone to Afghanistan to fight against the Soviets in the late 1980s, or during the time of the Taleban in the mid-1990s. Some sources claim he had recently broken away from the main al-Qaeda entity and formed his own group.

In an unprecedented offensive, the US is suspected of launching at least 17 missile strikes inside northwestern Pakistan since August. The strikes reflect US frustration at what it says is Pakistani inaction against extremists blamed for planning attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan and plotting to launch terror strikes in the West.

Scores of foreign al-Qaeda members are believed to be hiding out in the lawless border area, which is considered a likely hiding place for Osama bin Laden.

The United States rarely confirms or denies firing the missiles, which are launched from unmanned planes, and the identities of those killed are only occasionally made public. Locals frequently say civilians are among the dead.

Pakistan's foreign ministry said it had complained to the US envoy in Islamabad on Wednesday.

"It was underscored to the ambassador that the government of Pakistan strongly condemns the missile attacks which resulted in the loss of precious lives and property," the ministry said in a statement.

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