Three US soldiers were among 10 people killed when a bomb blast hit a convoy near a school in north-west Pakistan.
Three schoolgirls were among the dead while 70 people, including another 63 schoolgirls and two US soldiers, were injured in the explosion in Lower Dir.
The US embassy said the military personnel had been training Pakistan's Frontier Corps in counter-insurgency.
Both governments deny large numbers of US troops are in Pakistan, where public opinion opposes their presence.
The US embassy in Islamabad confirmed in a statement three American military personnel were killed and two wounded in what it branded a "vicious terrorist bombing".
The Pakistani military and the government are both extremely sensitive about the strong US presence in their country and both appear to be saying different things to different audiences.
Officially the government says it is deeply concerned about increasing numbers of US diplomatic and aid staff who have appeared in the country since US President Barack Obama declared the country to be a top foreign policy priority.
The Pakistani authorities have on several occasions during the past five months arrested American officials - in Lahore and Peshawar - who were suspected of having incorrect paperwork.
But unofficially the government is believed to be relying on US effort and expertise to fight the Taliban.
The statement also said the Americans had been due to attend the inauguration of a girls' school recently renovated with US humanitarian assistance.
Azam Tariq, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, Tehreek-e-Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement to AFP news agency.
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10:21 PM
Moderate Islamist here
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