WASHINGTON, June 20: The mysterious blast that killed over 30 people in Datakhel area of North Waziristan on Tuesday was caused by a new weapon the United States is using in that area to target Taliban and al-Qaeda suspects, reports said.

Reports in the US media identified the new weapon system as High Mobility Artillery Rockets or Himars, a complement to Predator drones. They are particularly useful when bad weather prevents high-altitude strikes, are mounted on trucks and can be fired from any location.

Himars first entered service in June 2005 at Fort Bragg to complement the Multiple Launch Rocket System or MLRS, which is heavier and more constrained in its movements and flexibility.

Fort Bragg in North Carolina is the headquarters of the US Army Special Operations Command, which plays a key role in the US-led war against terror.

Himars carries a single six-pack of rockets on a standard Army 6x6 all-wheel drive (MLRS carries 18 rockets). The six-pack can be configured to shoot a wide array of rockets and missiles, from cluster bombs to a single missile system with a range of up to 300 kilometres. Himars can fire a variety of non-cluster bomb rockets from the standard MLRS range of 32 kilometres to 300 kilometres.

The Himars launcher can also aim at a target in just 16 seconds. A crew of three operates the launcher, and it is possible for the crew to select pre-programmed targets stored in a fire control computer to increase flexibility.

The system is the new favourite of the US forces in the war against terrorism, especially when significant firepower is desired.

The US media, quoting military and intelligence experts, reported that Himars provides US forces deployed in Afghanistan the ability to fire deep into Pakistan from a considerable distance.

This prevents local tribes from tracing the source of the fire and can save the government of Pakistan the embarrassment it faces when a rocket coming from Afghanistan is traced to a US military deployment.

The media reports noted that US and Pakistani officials go to a great length to hide the source of a rocket attack to avoid political repercussions.

With GPS-aided precision, the missiles have a greater ability to hit the target while with the MLRS accuracy is to within about 1,000 feet.

There have also been reports of laser-guided rockets and missiles available on Himars, further improving accuracy.