A female school teacher was shot and killed by suspected militants in the restive Khyber tribal region of northwest Pakistan today, officials said.

The teacher, identified only as Shahnaz, was going to her school when she was intercepted and shot by armed men riding a motorcycle in Shahkus area of Jamrud sub-division, officials of the local political administration said.

The suspected militants fled after the shooting.Shahnaz sustained critical injuries and died later in a nearby hospital.

The motive behind the killing could not immediately be ascertained and no group claimed responsibility for the incident.

However, the Taliban have targeted teachers and workers of NGOs in the tribal belt in the past.

Several militant groups, including the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Islam are active in Khyber Agency.