At least 10 NATO oil tankers have been damaged in an attack in Pakistan's Khyber area bordering Afghanistan, Pakistani officials have said.

The incident happened at the NATO supply vehicle hub in Landi Kotal, where the bulk of supplies destined for US-led troops in Afghanistan pass through.

"The attackers damaged 10 oil tankers with mortars and small arms fire, but there was no blaze as the tankers were empty and had returned from Afghanistan after delivering supplies," tribal administration official Iqbal Khan Khattak told AFP.

The drivers had parked up at the terminal on their return journey to stay overnight in nearby hotels, he added.

Three security guards were also beheaded during the attack, local intelligence officials confirmed.

"It is the work of the militants," Khattak replied when asked who could be behind the killings.

NATO vehicles routinely deliver supplies to their forces in Afghanistan using the routes in the region.

Militants have managed to destroy hundreds of NATO tankers and containers in different parts of northwest and southwest Pakistan in the last three years.