A single rocket was fired at the base in South Waziristan on Saturday night, hitting a barracks, an area government official said on condition of anonymity because he did not have the authority to make official comments to the press.

No one claimed responsibility but the official blamed militants for the rocket fire.

Arab, Central Asian and Afghan militants suspected of links with al-Qaeda operate along with local tribal sympathisers in the rugged region bordering Afghanistan.

Pakistan is a key US ally in the war against terrorism and says it has deployed about 80,000 troops along the Afghan border to stop militant infiltration.

Meanwhile, insurgents blew up a natural gas pipeline in the restive southwestern Pakistani province of Baluchistan, cutting supply to thousand of homes, police said Sunday.

There were no casualties when the pipeline, which supplied gas to suburban areas of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan, was hit by explosives late Saturday, police official Mohammad Arif Shah told AFP.

The blast was so loud that it panicked residents and started a huge blaze, he said, adding that repairs to the pipeline were underway.

The unrest in Baluchistan continues over the August 26 killing of rebel chieftain Nawab Akbar Bugti.

The death of the veteran Baluch nationalist sparked nationwide protests and deadly violence in the province, with 10 people killed in bomb blasts, attacks and clashes with police.