Four missiles destroyed a huge mud compound that is being used by Taliban as a training camp, according to a local intelligence official. "Our informants told us that around 30 people were killed and around two dozens of them were Afghan Taliban," the official said on condition of anonymity, adding that a dozen militants were wounded.
The camp, located just 15 kilometres from the Afghan province of Khost, was established in the 1980s when locals on the both sides of the border were resisting Soviet Union's occupation forces in Afghanistan. "The camp has now turned into a training centre for those who are resisting new occupation forces (United States and allies) in Afghanistan," the intelligence official said.
Monday's attack is the first US drone strike on Kurram, a relatively calmer district in tribal region that was previously known for sectarian violence between rival Sunni and Shia. The fresh air raid came two days after a similar aerial strike on a building in South Waziristan tribal district killed at least 30 people, including some key allies of top militant commander, Baitullah Mehsud.