(Previous Incident Code: Ob321 )

At least two people were reported killed by an alleged U.S. drone strike. The men were reported as suspected militants but their identities are not known. The Nation and Xinhua reported that at least three people were killed, whereas all other sources reported on the killing of two men.

According to Xinhua, “the strike took place at about 11.45 p.m. (local time) when unmanned U.S. aircraft fired two missiles in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan, a militancy- plagued region bordering Afghanistan.

One missile hit a motorbike carrying two suspected militants, leaving two riders killed right on the spot, said the report, adding that another missile hit a house suspected of being a militant hideout.

At least one was killed as the house was hit by the missile, reported local media.”

Pakistani intelligence officials told Dawn that “The CIA-operated, remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers fired a pair of missiles at the two militants as they were riding on a motorcycle in the village of Musaki in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan”.

Unnamed officials told Reuters that the two men, “probably Arab nationals” were struck and killed on Saturday night, whereas another anonymous official told AFP the authorities were “verifying reports” that the dead men were from Turkmenistan.

There was no information on the affiliation of the alleged militants, although the Long War Journal noted the area is “in the sphere of influence of Abu Kasha al Iraqi, an al Qaeda leader who serves as a key link to the Taliban and supports al Qaeda’s external operations network.”

Dawn reported that the strike also partially damaged nearby houses.