Peshawar, Sept. 3 : Coalition troops from across the Afghan border reportedly raided a Pakistani village on Wednesday, and according to the Governor of Pakistan''s North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Owais Ahmed Ghani, at least 20 people have been killed.

Ghani was quoted as saying in a statement that "Innocent citizens of Pakistan including women and children were martyred."

"This is a direct assault on the sovereignty of Pakistan and the people of Pakistan expect that the armed forces of Pakistan would rise to defend the sovereignty of the country and give a befitting reply to all such attacks," the statement added.

The pre-dawn attack took place in the village of Jalal Khel in South Waziristan, a tribal area bordering Afghanistan.

A spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan said he was not aware of such an operation. (ANI)