(Previous Incident Code: Ob340 )

At least five and as many as 11 people were killed in the first drone strike in 49 days. Various sources said the strike killed at least two “foreigners,” reportedly Uzbeks, as well as “local militants”. However The News said the strike killed 10 Uzbeks.

The death toll varied according to different sources. Various anonymous Pakistani officials told Reuters either five or eight were killed. AFP reported eight were killed and Associated Press said 10 people died. Both agencies reported the figures came from anonymous Pakistani officials.

It was not clear from the initial reports what the CIA drones targeted. It reportedly hit either a moving vehicle, or a vehicle and a building. Officials told AFP the vehicle was near the building when the strike hit, raising the possibility the strike targeted one and the other was hit inadvertently. However an unnamed Pakistani security official said the strike hit the vehicle parked inside the courtyard of the building. This kind of strike has been reported before because residential dwellings in Pakistan’s tribal area are frequently large walled structures and are commonly referred to as “compounds”.

This was the eight strike in 2014 and every one has reportedly targeted a house and vehicle. This was also the fifth consecutive CIA drone strike in the area around Datta Khel.

The last strike was on August 6, two days before the US began striking terrorist targets in Iraq and Syria. The 49-day gap between attacks in Pakistan was the third longest pause in strikes recorded by the Bureau. The drones stopped for 54 days in November and December 2011 when US-Pakistani relations were at a nadir after a year of significant tensions between the allies. The longest pause between attacks ended earlier this year, on June 11 when the first strike in 168 days killed 4-6 people.

The Pakistani government quickly condemned the strike in a foreign ministry release. The statement also said: “The Government of Pakistan also believes that with the decisive action being taken against terrorist elements in North Waziristan, there is no need for such strikes. We, therefore, urge for a cessation of such strikes.”