(Previous Incident Code: B35 )

A suspected US attack on a seminary allegedly linked to the Haqqani Network in Danda Darpakhel, north Waziristan, killed up to eleven people, hereof up to 10 civilians – mostly children – international and local media reported.

According to residents and local officials, two missiles struck a madrasa, a religious school in the area, rendering it complete destroyed and with up to 11 fatalities and between three to 11 injured. However, it was unclear across the reports how many of the victims where militants or civilians.

The BBC said that seven students were killed, while German agency DPA said that ten students “aged 12 to 18” had died. A named local, Zardad Khan, who put the death toll at four, told the New York Times that “they were all local people.”

However, some reports stated that those killed were militants, naming some as: ‘Mirza Ali Khan; Eid Muhammad from Wana in South Waziristan; Qadir Khan and Gul Wali Shah, residents of Azam Warsak, a town near Wana; and Salim Gul and Abdul Wali hailing from the Dawar tribe in North Waziristan.

The News, who said that all ten fatalities were militants, cited a senior militant commander, confirming that the killed belonged to the Baitullah Mehsud-led TTP, who always fought against the US-led foreign forces in Afghanistan.

The New York Times also said that three “locals” were wounded, while Dawn said that eleven were left injured – with three named as Sangeen, Bekhtullah and Rehmatullah, though it was again not clear whether they were civilians or militants.

While the US, as of now, has not confirmed its involvement in this strike, all sources blamed US forces for the aerial attack.