US denies hitting Afghan refugee camp in Pakistan drone strike

Washington on Thursday described as “false” Pakistan’s claim that the US hit an Afghan refugee camp in a drone strike. The strike, which took place inside Pakistani territory on Wednesday, killed a mid-level commander from the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network, local officials and a source close to the Islamist group told AFP. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry condemned the “unilateral action,” saying it had targeted an Afghan refugee camp, but made no mention of casualties. The claim in the statement “that US forces struck an Afghan refugee camp in Kurram agency yesterday is false,” a spokesman for the US embassy in Islamabad said. A spokesman for the UN refugee agency said there are no refugee camps in the tribal areas, and no sign of a camp can be seen in pictures from the site. Local officials also said they were not aware of a refugee camp in the area, which is 50km from the Afghan border.