The children`s aunt and mother were wounded in the incident in Pakistan`s tribal district of Khyber, where the military is fighting against local warlord Mangal Bagh and his Lashkar-e-Islam faction.
The dead children were cousins -- one girl and three boys, aged between three and nine years, officials said.
"Four children were killed and two women were critically wounded. They were from one family," said Bakhtiar Khan, an administrative official in Bara town where the incident took place.
Syed Ahmad Jan, another government official, said the family was leaving the Shaluber area of Khyber after authorities issued evacuation orders warning that the military was planning to expand its offensive.
"There was an exchange of fire between militants and troops," Khan told AFP, saying that a "stray mortar" had hit the family`s vehicle.
The children`s father, grocer Zahir Shah, was driving the vehicle. Two of his sons, his niece and nephew were killed, Khan added.
More than 250,000 people have fled the fighting in Khyber since January, according to Pakistani officials.
Khyber is part of Pakistan`s semi-autonomous tribal belt on the Afghan border, considered to be the world`s premier Al-Qaeda hub despite the killing of Osama bin Laden by United States troops last year. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
