US missiles struck a militant training camp in northwestern Pakistan today, killing 22 fighters close to the Afghan border.
The camp in the Shawal area of North Waziristan was run by fighters loyal to Pakistani warlord Hafiz Gul Bahadur, whose loyalists attack in Afghanistan.
It was targeted by five US missiles at around noon (8am Irish time), Pakistani officials said.
Local residents described the camp as a major training centre on the top of a hill surrounded by trees and ice cold natural springs.
The al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network and foreign militant networks are also known to operate in the remote mountains of Shawal, which is covered in thick forest.
Today's strike came two days after US missiles killed 18 militants in neighbouring South Waziristan, then the deadliest strikes for months.
Washington has called Pakistan's semi-autonomous northwest tribal region the most dangerous place on Earth and the global headquarters of al-Qaeda.
Pakistan has come under mounting US pressure to open a ground offensive in North Waziristan, considered the premier bastion of Taliban and al-Qaeda-linked militants, since Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden on 2 May.
The drone strikes are hugely unpopular among the general public, who are deeply opposed to the government's alliance with Washington, but US officials say the missile strikes have severely weakened al-Qaeda's leadership.
The US does not officially confirm Predator drone attacks, but its military and the CIA operating in Afghanistan are the only forces that deploy the armed, unmanned aircraft in the region.
