Damadola, Pakistan ? An airstrike in a remote Pakistani tribal area killed at least 17 people, and a senior Pakistani official said today the target was a suspected al-Qaida hideout that may have been frequented by high-level operatives, possibly the No. 2 leader Ayman al-Zawahri.

Citing unnamed American intelligence officials, U.S. networks reported that it was a CIA strike and that al-Zawahri, Osama bin Laden’s lieutenant, could have been at a targeted compound in the Bajur area or about to arrive.

There was no confirmation from either the Pakistani or U.S. government, but a senior Pakistani government official told The Associated Press that “there is 50-50 chance that some al-Qaida personality was at the home” that was hit early Friday in the border village of Damadola, about 125 miles northwest of the capital Islamabad.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said today that he had heard that the al-Qaida figure may have been al-Zawahri and that the information would be clearer later today.

ABC quoted anonymous Pakistani military sources as saying he could have been among five top al-Qaida officials believed killed.

A senior Pakistani intelligence official told AP that the remains of some bodies were removed after the strike and DNA tests were being conducted, but would not say by whom. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

In Pakistan, the military only confirmed to The Associated Press that there had been explosions in a remote village near the Afghan border, but could not confirm the cause or casualties. The spokesman for President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said the incident was still being investigated.

“I am not in a position to say yes or no. We know that media is reporting it, but we have no such information or any details. We are still investigating this matter,” Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan told AP today.

In Washington, Pentagon, State Department, National Security Council and intelligence officials all said they had no information on the reports concerning al-Zawahri.

An AP reporter who visited the scene about 12 hours after what villagers said was an airstrike saw three destroyed houses, hundreds of yards apart.

Villagers, who denied links to the Taliban or al-Qaida militants, had buried at least 15 people, including women and children, and were digging for more bodies in the rubble. No security forces were in the area.