(Previous Incident Code: Ob314 )

Up to three people died in a drone strike, although reports differed on the circumstances. Several reports said men riding on a horse were attacked, killing them and the horse instantly. However three unnamed officials told the Associated Press that a single horse-borne alleged ‘foreign militant’ was killed. Other reports said two alleged militants were killed when drones destroyed a house. Rescue work was reportedly delayed as drones hovered over the area after the strike. AFP reported a house and a man on horseback were targeted. And The News initially reported a house was targeted but subsequently said two alleged militants were killed on a motorcycle.

A Pakistani official said: ’We don’t know the identity of those killed, and our local contacts say the bodies were unrecognisable.’ And a Taliban source said: ‘I cannot confirm their nationality and group affiliation at the moment’. The News reported ’there were strong indications that both were foreign fighters’. The drones reportedly struck at either 8.35am or 8.50am. Shortly after the strike ‘unrest erupted among local and foreign militants’ in the area, according to one report. The strike hit the day before UN special rapporteur Ben Emmerson’s three-day visit to Islamabad.