The government official, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, said the attack was apparently the second in three days targeting militants loyal to Baitullah Mehsud, the Taliban leader in Pakistan.
On Saturday, a missile struck a compound used by Mr. Mehsud in South Waziristan, killing 30 people, but the Taliban leader was not among the reported victims.
At 8.30 a.m. on Monday, four missiles struck compounds in Sur Pul, near the regional center of Parachinar. The village was being used as a base by Taliban militants loyal to Mr. Mehsud and his local commander, Hakimullah Mehsud, who is accused by government officials of attacking NATO supply convoys crossing the Khyber Pass from Pakistan into Afghanistan.
The dead on Monday were likely to include militants from South Waziristan and Afghanistan, the government official said.