(Previous Incident Code: Ob62 )

An attack on a Pakistan Taliban commanders’ meeting failed to kill Hakimullah Mehsud. The house targeted was variously described as belonging to at the home of Pir Gul, or a member of the Mehsud clan, a ‘well-known Taliban supporter‘ or Usman Jan, new leader of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan who were reportedlw collaborating with the Taliban. ‘The drones are apparently tracking and targeting Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, whose presence is frequently reported in the area,’ an unnamed official told Al Jazeera. The strike took place before sunrise at around 4am; the location was described as ‘residential’ by some reports, suggesting that civilians may have inhabited the building although no accounts of civilian reports have yet been published.

Contemporaneous media reports said more than 20 people died, including ‘four Uzbeks’ and ‘top Taliban commanders’ Shahidullah, Hafiz Nizamuddin Storikhel, Khwarey and Mohtaj. Most of those who died were foreign fighters, an official told Reuters – although Associated Press reported the dead comprised five Uzbeks and 15 Pakistani Taliban.

In January 2014 the Bureau published a secret Pakistani record of CIA drone strikes and casualties. It listed only 14 people were killed in this attack, all of them described as local to the tribal area.