Missiles fired by US drones killed 16 people yesterday, including Pakistani and Afghan Taliban fighters, in a strike targeting a religious school founded by an old friend of Osama bin Laden, intelligence officials and Pakistani villagers said.

"There were two drones and they fired three missiles," said a resident of Dandi Darpakheil, a village in the North Waziristan tribal region near the Afghan border.

A military official said a house and madrasa founded by Taliban commander Jalaluddin Haqqani were the targets.