(Previous Incident Code: Ob356 )

CIA drones reportedly killed four or five people in a strike that hit a building in the Shawal valley. The strike reportedly killed members of the Punjabi Taliban.

This was the first of two strikes that hit in quick succession. This was the first of the two according to most reports though the New York Times report reversed the order. The Times said the strike targeted the house of Asmatullah Muaqiyah, leader of the Punjabi Taliban. It was not clear if he was present at the time of the strike. The Associated Press reported the building belonged to a Qari Imran. It is not clear if this is a different person or another name used by Muaqiyah.

Most sources reported the dead were all members of the Punjabi Taliban, implying they were Pakistanis. However the Express Tribune reported: “Four suspected militants were killed in the drone strike at the compound in Kund Sar, according to them. Two of them were Turkish nationals and two were Uzbeks.”

This and the subsequent strike came on the same day the Pakistan military killed at least 39 people in a series of air strikes in the area around Datta Khel.