A US drone struck a Taliban stronghold, in the second such strike within 24 hours, targeting a training centre in Pakistan's volatile South Waziristan region on Wednesday killing at least 10 militants.

The drone fired several missiles at a training centre run by militants loyal to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Baitullah Mehsud in Karwan Manza area, TV news channels reported.

At least five militants were also injured in the attack. The injured militants, some of them in a critical condition, were taken to a nearby hospital.

Thirteen militants were killed yesterday when a drone targeted a militant hideout in Ladha, an area of South Waziristan Agency considered one of the main strongholds of Mehsud.

The drone attacks came ahead of a planned offensive by the Pakistan Army against Mehsud and his network in South Waziristan. The campaign is expected to be launched after the army winds up its operations against militants in the northwestern Swat valley.

The Pakistan government has opposed drone attacks in the country's tribal belt, describing them as counter-productive for the war against terror, but observers believe Islamabad and Washington have a tacit understanding on the strikes.