(Previous Incident Code: B25 )

Up to seven civilians, all of them women and children, were killed in a possible US drone strike on the Pakistan-Afghan border, that also killed up to seven militants, local and international sources reported.

Following the incident, an eye witness told Reuters that “two drones were flying in the area. They fired three missiles.” According to the reports, the strikes killed up to 12 people, though sources conflicted as to how many were civilians and militants.

Most said that up to seven civilians were killed, counting three to four children and one to three women. According to eye witnesses, cited by GeoTV: “US spy fired three missiles at two houses in Gorovek village in North Waizirsitan killing four children and three women on the spot and several others injured.” Meanwhile, The New York Times cited Ahsan Dawar, a journalist on the ground, who said that two women and three children were among the fatalities.

Other sources reported that alleged militants may also have died. The New York Times, for example, noted that along with five civilians killed up to seven men of ‘Arab descent’ died. An intelligence official said five militants were killed while another said the toll could rise. It was not immediately known if any senior al Qaeda figures were among the casualties. Another intelligence official, however, said those killed were civilians including four children and a woman.

“Several” were left wounded, including at least one woman as reported by Dawn.

It should be noted that while most sources reported that the attack took place in Pakistan, the New York Times claimed that the attack was on Al Must, just inside Afghanistan.

Moreover, while the majority blamed a US drone, including residents and eye witnesses, local officials, cited by AFP and Dawn, “suspected that the missiles were fired by forces across the border.”

All known sources said that US drones carried out the strikes, though it has not officially been confirmed.

A Pakistan official said that the strike was not carried out by Pakistani forces.