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Human Rights Drone Warfare
Pakistan: Reported US strikes 2010
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President Obama meets with Pakistan's Prime Minister Gilani in 2010 (Photo: US State Dept)
The events detailed here occurred in 2010. These have been reported by US or Pakistani government, military and intelligence officials, and by credible media, academic and other sources, including on occasion Bureau researchers. Below is a summary of CIA drone strikes and casualty estimates for 2010. Please note that our data changes according to our current understanding of particular strikes. Below represents our present best estimate.
You can access a complete spreadsheet of all strike and casualty data for Pakistan here.
CIA strikes – Obama 2010
Total CIA drone strikes 128
Total reported killed: 755-1,108
Civilians reported killed: 89-197
Children reported killed: 23
Total reported injured: 351-428
Click here for our 2016 Pakistan data set.
Click here for our the Bush years Pakistan data set.
Who is dying in Pakistan drone strikes? See the Naming the Dead project.
January 2010 – March 2010
Ob53 – January 1 2010
♦ 2-3 total killed
♦ 3-4 injured
Two or three alleged militants were killed and up to four were injured in a drone strike that several sources said took place in the morning, although one report put it at 7.45pm. The car was parked outside a residential compound when it was struck, Dawn reported. 'We saw a vehicle engulfed in flames after the missile strike,' a tribesman told AFP. 'It was difficult to go close to the vehicle as it was surrounded by militants, who later removed dead bodies from the wreckage.' Drones continued to fly over the area, the Daily Times reported. The attack marked one of multiple strikes as the CIA lashed out in the wake of the Khost suicide bombing. An Obama administration security official reportedly said:
In the aftermath of Khost, political sensitivities were no longer a reason not to do something. The shackles were unleashed. (The Triple Agent)
The coming year saw a drastic increase in strikes. 'The CIA went to war,' a former administration official, who added: 'The White House stood back.'
Location: Murbarak Shahi, North Waziristan.
References: Geo TV, CNN, AFP, Dawn, Reuters, SATP, Al Jazeera English, Daily Times, Pajhwok, Bureau
♦ 5 total killed
♦ 1-2 civilians, including 1-2 children, reported killed
♦ 2 injured
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the172 following reports: Unnamed security official says identity of two of the dead is unclear (AFP), unnamed locals refer to the dead as 'people' and name two (Dawn), two Pakistani officials report two civilian deaths (CNN), two children (Bureau)
Two missiles fired at the a compound owned by Jehan Roze destroyed a guesthouse and a car parked outside, and killed five including up to three 'Arabs'. Roze's son Sadiq Noor, who is described by some as a local teacher but by others as a collaborator with militants, was killed in the strike, along with Noor's 9-year-old son Wajid. Initially Pakistani intelligence officials suggested that 'an important figure' may have been hiding in the house. 'A total of five militants have been killed, two are local and three are foreigners. One among the foreigners is an Arab,' a security official told AFP. A Sadiq Noor had been identified three years previously as a senior militant, with an intelligence report claiming that he:
Runs operations from Miranshah and hosts Taliban and Al Qaeda meetings from his offices. Holds court under Sharia law, decides local disputes, announces punishments, collects money runs a private jail.
Location: Mosaki, North Waziristan.
References: Geo TV, AFP, Dawn, Dawn, SATP, CNN, Reuters, Pajhwok, Long War Journal, Long War Journal, Bureau
♦ 0-6 civilians reported killed
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Local officials highlight uncertainty over the status of the dead (Pajhwok), reporter indicates uncertainty over the status of the dead (Al Jazeera).
An attack on a 'fort-like' compound reportedly killed up to seven, possibly including two 'foreigners'. Five were reported injured. Officials said the compound was frequented by militants, with some sources claiming it was a militant training camp. 'It was a huge, fort-like mud-house. They were using it as a training centre and the training centre belonged to Hafiz Gul Bahadur,' a Pakistani intelligence source told Dawn. CNN reports the attack took place at 3.50pm, while Dawn put it at 3.30pm. A local official was 'unclear whether the dead were militants or civilians' (Pajhwok). See Ob56.
Location: Sanzali, Datta Khel, North Waziristan
References: Pajhwok, Dawn, CNN, New York Times, Al Jazeera English, militaryphotos.net, SATP, Long War Journal, Geo TV, Geo TV, Bureau
♦ 5 civilians reported killed
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Field researchers provide names and further identification (Bureau).
Shortly after Ob55, as rescuers worked to pull bodies from the rubble, drones struck again. 'Just when people gathered at the scene to retrieve the bodies and pull out the wounded, another missile struck an hour later,' a resident told the New York Times. Up to nine rescuers, described as either villagers or militants by CNN and others, were attacked as they searched the rubble of the fort. See Ob55.
As part of its investigation into reports of deliberate targeting of rescuers by drones, the Bureau's researchers identified five civilian rescuers they named as Khalid, Matiullah, Kashif, Zaman and Waqar, all belonging to the Utmanzai Wazir tribe.
References: Xinhua, militaryphotos.net, Al Jazeera English, Pajhwok, Dawn, SATP, CNN, Jang (Urdu), Bureau investigation (rescuers). Bureau data (rescuers)
Ayeesha / Noor Behram
♦ 5 civilians reported killed, including 1 child
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Law suit (Reprieve), reporter identifies the dead as 'people' rather than 'militants' (Dawn, Geo TV).
A vehicle was destroyed killing four men standing next to it – alleged in some reports to be militants of Hafiz Gul Bahadur's faction. Three people were injured. CNN put the attack as happening at 7.45pm; locals told the broadcaster that two of the dead were foreign while three were local. However, lawyer Shahzad Akbar reports that the men were civilians, and has named them as government high school teacher Akbar Zaman, Mir Qalam, Saad Wali Khan and Muhammad Fayyaz. In the next door house, 3-year-old Ayeesha (right) was also reported killed by missile shrapnel. In a detailed account of the attack placed before the UN Human Rights Council in February 2012, it was stated:
Janatullah is a resident of Bora Khel, Miranshah, North Waziristan, Pakistan. His brother is Mir Qalam, 19 years of age. Akhtar Zaman is a resident of Tapi Ghundi Kala. His brother is Akbar Zaman, a high school teacher in Government High School Supghala. Neither Mir Qalam, Akbar Zaman, nor any other members of their families have participated in terrorist activities, nor have they been affiliated with terrorist organizations or people.
On Friday, January 8, 2010, Mir Qalam was driving to the nearby village of Tappi on a dinner invitation. He stopped outside a shop in market in Tappi, to talk to some acquaintances, namely: Akbar Zaman; Saad Wali Khan, a local tribesman; and Muhammad Fayyaz, another local tribesman. At that moment, a drone fired a missile near where they were standing, killing all four of them. Mir Qalam left behind a widow and a baby daughter. Akbar Zaman left behind three daughters and four sons, the eldest of which is 9 years old.
An internal Pakistani government document published by the Bureau in January 2014 said six people were killed in this attack. It recorded two of the dead as 'local' and four as 'non-local'.
Location: Tabbi, North Waziristan
References: AFP, CNN, Dawn, Dawn, Geo TV, Long War Journal, SATP, Reprieve, Bureau
Photo: US government
Jamal Saeed Abdul Rahim (right) was reportedly killed with up to four others, including al Qaeda bodyguard in a strike on buildings belonging to Rasta Barkhan, described as 'a tribesman closely linked to the Taliban by the Long War Journal. Abdul Rahim was a suspect in a Karachi plane hijacking a quarter of a century earlier in which 20 passengers died including two US citizens.
The FBI's website says that Mr Rahim has a $5m bounty on his head and is wanted for his alleged role in the 1986 hijacking of Pan American World Airways flight [173]. (BBC News).
However Rahim's name remained on the US government's wanted list – Rewards for Justice – in 2015. Other names of men killed in drone strikes had remained on the list after their reported deaths before being quietly expunged at a later date. That Rahim remained there five years after his death raises questions over his reported demise. Among the others killed in the strike was Mansur al Shami aka Mahmoud Mahdi Zeiden, reportedly the bodyguard for al Qaeda 'No. 3' Sheikh Mustafa Abu al Yazid. His brother confirmed his death to AP. After the strike, security officials told AFP: 'A US drone fired two missiles, which hit a compound used by militants as a training centre'.
A wanted notice for several men, including Abdul Rahim, suspected of the September 5 1973 highjacking of PanAm Flight 73, and other related crimes. This notice was broadcast by the US government on Voice of America.
Location: Ismail Khel, North Waziristan.
References: Dawn, CNN, Geo TV, BBC News, Long War Journal, SATP, Asian Tribune, Long War Journal, The News, The News, Associated Press, The News, SATP, Voice of America, Bureau
Drone strike on a gathering of a large number of alleged Taliban in Afghanistan (Live Leak).
Ob59 – January 14 2010
♦ 15-18 total killed
♦ 7-14 injured
Pakistan Taliban (TTP) leader Hakimullah Mehsud and al Qaeda bomb maker Abdul Basit Usman (who has been linked to the December 2009 attack on a CIA base in Afghanistan) were reportedly killed with up to 16 other alleged militants including 'two Arabs and several Uzbek fighters'. The strike was reportedly on the house of Muhammad Yaqoob, although Press TV claimed the site was 'a converted religious school'. Both Mehsud and Usman (below) later emerged alive. TTP spokesman Azam Tariq told AFP:
Hakimullah Mehsud was present at the same place in Shaktoi where the drone attack took place… But he had left the area already when the drone attack took place. He is alive and completely safe.'
Rewards for Justice
Some sources suggested he left the house 'minutes before the assault' while BBC Urdu reported he needed treatment for a head wound. Rumours he had been killed persisted for months after the event. Mehsud, who took over the TTP after his cousin Baitullah Mehsud was killed in August 2009 (Ob29), later appeared in a grisly video released in spring 2011, in which a former ISI commander was executed.
Location: Shaktoi, North-South Waziristan border
References: Express Tribune, AFP, New York Times, Al Jazeera English, Geo TV, SATP, Long War Journal, Press TV, Pajhwok, Dawn, Long War Journal, Geo TV, The News, The News, The News, Long War Journal
♦ 5-10 total killed
The reputed house of Munawar Jan was destroyed in a strike. According to initial media reporting five alleged militants were killed including a 'foreigner' were killed, although Long War Journal reported the dead included two 'Taliban' and three 'foreign fighters'. Xinhua reported 'at least five' had been killed and the number was likely to rise. Three people were reportedly injured. A senior Pakistani official reported that a swarm of five drones were involved in the attack, flying at low altitude before two 'descended further and fired four missiles at the compound, destroying it completely,' reported SATP.
In January 2014 the Bureau published a secret Pakistani record of drone strikes and casualties. The document listed 10 people killed in this strike. It said four 'locals' and six 'non-locals' were killed in an attack on two cars near a house.
Location: Shaktoi, North Waziristan.
References: Geo TV, BBC News, Dawn, thefreelibrary.com, SATP, Long War Journal, Xinhua, The Nation, Bureau
Predator drone/Flickr/The Insider Brief
Six people were reported killed in a shortly after Ob60. GeoTV said the drones attacked 'an hour after' the previous strike, while Dawn reported the strike was 'a late-night attack'. The target was reported to be either a house or a 'religious seminary and adjacent house'. TTP commander Azmatullah Mawiya was said to be among the dead. However that report was apparently premature – he was alive as of an August 2013 report saying he had been expelled from the TTP. Asia Pulse reported the strike seriously wounded seven and killed 10 including 'top militant commanders' Khawaja Muhammad Mehsud and Qari Hussain, a TTP leader credited with organising bombing squads. However Qari Hussain appears to have survived several further attacks (including Ob21, Ob137, Ob142 and Ob147) and was added to the US list of designated terrorists in January 2011.
References: Dawn, zeenews.india.com, SATP, Long War Journal, Geo TV, BBC News, Dawn, Asia Pulse, IANS, Long War Journal, The Nation, Bureau, Dawn
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. '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, according to Dawn.
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. Some early reports falsely claimed that Hakimullah Mehsud died of injuries sustained in this strike.
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.
References: BBC News, Al Jazeera English, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, zeenews.india.com, New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Geo TV, Dawn, Dawn, zeenews.com, SATP, Long War Journal, Associated Press, AFP, Dawn, AFP, Xinhua, The News, Awaz Today, Bureau
At around 6.30pm, missiles hit a house and a vehicle parked outside it. The death toll was initially put at three, but later rose six; four were reportedly injured. All the dead were alleged to be militants. 'Five militants were killed in the strike. One missile hit the compound and the other hit a nearby vehicle. Three people sitting in the car were killed and two others were killed in the compound,' a security official told AFP. Four years after this strike, the Bureau published a list of drone strikes and casualties compiled by Pakistani officials. It records nine 'locals' killed in this attack.
Location: Deegan, North Waziristan.
References: Dawn, CNN, AFP, Reuters, SATP, SATP, New York Times, Geo TV, Xinhua, Bureau
Between two and fifteen people were killed in an attack on a house or compound. The dead reportedly included four Arabs, two Uzbeks and local militants linked to the Haqqani Network, it is alleged. However an official Pakistani record of drone strikes listed only two 'foreign nationals' killed in the attack. The Bureau published the secret document in January 2014.
Location: Muhammad Khel, North Waziristan.
References: AFP, BBC, New York Times, Geo TV, Reuters, Long War Journal, SATP, Al Jazeera English, Bureau
Cluster of strikes
On December 30 2009 a joint al Qaeda-Pakistan Taliban operation struck at the heart of the CIA's drone activities. A triple agent penetrated a secret drone base in Khost, Afghanistan. Seven CIA agents, including the base commander, were among the dead. The Agency responded in the coming weeks with multiple strikes across Waziristan – at the time, the heaviest wave of bombings ever seen. On this one day alone there were four attacks. Bureau analysis shows that at least 35 people died – including six possible civilians.
Ob65 – February 2 2010
As many as eight drones clustered for a mass strike to kill Haqqani Network leader Sirajudin Haqqani – firing 19 missiles between them. A house was attacked and up to 23 killed in this first of four linked strikes. The intended target was absent.
A commander of the group who spoke on the condition of anonymity told CNN that Haqqani "is alive and was not in the area at the time of the attack."
In January 2014 the Bureau published a secret Pakistani document, a list of drone strikes and casualties. It recorded 24 people killed in this strike and the subsequent attack (Ob66). However the document conflates the two strikes in one entry, saying 24 locals 'at two different places in village Mohammad Khel and Degan of Tehsil Datta Khel'.
Location: Deegan, Datta Khel area, North Waziristan.
References: Geo TV, Al Jazeera English, Daily Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, CNN, BBC News, Dawn, AFP, Reuters, SATP, ABC, Long War Journal, Times of India, Al Jazeera English, Long War Journal, Bureau
♦ Total killed unknown
A linked strike reportedly attacked locals firing on a nearby swarm of drones. Casualties unknown though a secret Pakistani report, published by the Bureau in January 2014, listed 24 people were killed in Ob65 and Ob66 – see above.
References: New York Times, Times of India, Bureau
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Unnamed villagers indicate uncertainty over identity of the dead (Wall Street Journal), field researchers (Bureau).
Nine people were killed while travelling in two vehicles to help with rescue work at the sites of previous attacks. Initial claims were confused about whether those who died were militants or civilians. According to the New York Times:
A third drone strike, in the area of Khar Qamar, then hit two vehicles on their way to the scene of the previous attacks, a security official and residents said. At least six militants were killed, they said.
However, the Wall Street Journal raised doubts about those killed, noting: 'Two people who live in the village said vehicles were also destroyed, although they differed on whether the cars belonged to the militants or area residents.'
As part of its investigation into the targeting of rescuers by the CIA, the Bureau's researchers in Waziristan named five civilians they said had been killed as 'Noor Janan, Farhad, Samad, Salam and Baseer belonging to the Dawar tribe.' Researchers also said that four Taliban died in the attack.
Location: Pai Khel, North Waziristan.
References: New York Times, Times of India, Jang (Urdu), Wall Street Journal, CNN, Dawn, Reuters, AFP, SATP, ABC, Long War Journal, Times of India, Al Jazeera English, Long War Journal, Bureau investigation (rescuers). Bureau data (rescuers)
In the last of four linked strikes, a village was reportedly hit with casualties unknown.
Location: Toor Narai, North Waziristan.
References: Times of India, CNN
Ob69 – February 14 2010
The house of Khanadan Khan Dawar was attacked. Seven alleged militants, reportedly four 'foreigners, possibly Uzbeks' and three locals, were reported killed at the time of the strike. However in January 2014 the Bureau published a secret Pakistani record of CIA drone strikes and casualties. It said: 'Reportedly the killed militants were Uzbeks.'
Location: Norak, North Waziristan.
References: New York Times, CNN, AFP, Reuters, Geo TV, Al Jazeera English, Dawn, Long War Journal, SATP, CNN, Xinhua, Bureau
♦ 5 people reported injured
Up to five people were killed in a car destroyed by a missile strike. The dead reportedly included Abdul Haq al-Turkistani, leader of militant group the East Turkestan Islamic Group (ETIM). It transpired in June 2015 that Abdul Haq may not have been killed in this strike. An ETIM-linked propaganda outlet reportedly produced a video of Abdul Haq in 2014. The propaganda channel said he had been injured and incapacitated in this strike but had resumed his duties as leader in 2014.
ETIM had reportedly formed an alliance with al Qaeda. Among the group's stated goals are independence for a Muslim region of China; and 'to convert the people of China to Islam'.
Location: Ghundikala, North Waziristan.
References: Dawn, Dawn, Geo TV, SATP, Xinhua, Reuters, military-world.net, Long War Journal, Long War Journal, Times of India, CBS News, Daily Times, The News, Bureau, Long War Journal
Four people were killed and two injured at a Taliban guest-house reportedly owned by Sakhi Badshah. Al Qaeda's Shaikh Mansoor, reportedly a key figure in anti-NATO actions inside Afghanistan, was said to be among the dead.
Location: Tapi Tool, North Waziristan.
References: Geo TV, Sakaal Times, Reuters, AFP, CNN, Dawn, Geo TV, Dawn, The Statesmen, Long War Journal, Long War Journal, SATP, Asian Tribune, The News, The News, Bureau
'Pakistan Taliban 2008' – Flickr/gnabi86
Mohammed Haqqan (aka Mohammed Hashim) a brother of the leader of the Haqqani Network, was killed with 2-4 others, reportedly as he traveled to offer prayers for Shaikh Mansoor, killed the previous day (Dawn). Also reported killed by one source were 'head of a little-known militant outfit' Nisar Wazir; Muhajireen Wal Ansar; and two 'Arabs'.
It subsequently emerged that Mohammed Haqqan was not the intended target of the strike. The US was trying to kill one of his older brothers – a US intelligence official later boasted:
We were gunning for Siraj but got his little brother instead.
A US intelligence report leaked to McClatchy three years after the strike revealed that Siraj's brother and the Network's second-in-command Baddrudin was the actual target:
Watching the video feed from a drone high above the mourners, CIA operators in the United States identified a man they believed could be Badruddin Haqqani from the deference and numerous greetings he received. The man also supervised a private family viewing of the body.
Baddrudin was killed in a drone strike in North Waziristan in August 2012 (Ob287).
Location: Danda Darpakhel, North Waziristan.
References: Geo TV, AFP, Dawn, Dawn, Daily Times, Reuters, Dawn, Dawn, Wall Street Journal, AFP, Long War Journal, Long War Journal, CNN, New York Times, SATP, Xinhua, McClatchy, Bureau
♦ 5-6 civilians, including 1 child, reported killed
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Unnamed local (Xinhua), named resident (Pajhwok), unnamed witness (Noor Behram).
Up to thirteen people were killed, including reportedly civilians and 'three foreign fighters.' Xinhua reported that at least five people died, citing a local source: 'All killed and injured people are local tribesmen, not militants, he said, adding "the house caught fire shortly after the missiles landed at the house."' Pajhwok also reported that a 'civilian house' may have been destroyed, killing as many as six inside, though others reported that only alleged militants had died when vehicles were destroyed. A 10-year-old girl, Naila, was also reportedly killed by shrapnel, according to local photographer Noor Behram:
Naila was at home reciting the Quran when the strike hit the next-door building. A missile piece hit her and she died on the spot.' A further six people were injured in the attack.
The following week it was reported that TTP leader Qari Mohammad Zafar had died in the strike. An unnamed US official told the Long War Journal: 'We've received some information that may verify the reports but we cannot be certain,' an official said. 'It is possible but we cannot confirm. We'd like to check him off our list as he is dangerous.' The TTP announced Zafar's death in March 2010, declaring: 'The mujahideen will soon take revenge against the Pakistani government for his killing anywhere in the country.' His named remained on the US wanted list Rewards for Justice with a $5m reward for information about his whereabouts. This was removed at some point between April 20 2012 and May 16 2012. However it was also claimed that this was a propaganda ruse by the Taliban. An investigator told the Daily Times six months after the attack: 'So important is Qari Zafar to the TTP that they faked his death so he could work in peace.'
Location: Darga Mandi, North Waziristan.
References: Hindustan Times, Dawn, BBC News, Geo TV, CNN, New York Times, Reuters, AP, Xinhua, The Hindu (Associated Press), Daily Times, AFP, Long War Journal, Pajhwok, SATP, Bureau, Long War Journal, Long War Journal, US Government (Web Archive)
Ob74 – March 8 2010
An attack on a hotel in a bazaar killed Hussein al-Yemeni (aka Saddam Hussein al Hussami, Ghazwan al Yemeni), linked to the December 2009 attack on a CIA base. Also killed were eight other alleged al Qaeda members. A martyrdom statement released four days after the strike named three as Abu Jameelah al Kuwaiti Hamed al Aazimi, who fought alongside al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi; Abu Zahra al Maghrebi; and Akramah al Bunjabi al Pakistani.
Dawn reported that the attack took place in a built-up area, noting: 'Official sources said three missiles slammed into Maly Khan Serai, a building housing shops and auto workshops, adding a government-run veterinary centre also came under attack. The town plunged into darkness after the attack, the first on a bazaar in Miramshah.' A US counter-terrorism official later said:
The strike that appears to have gotten him [was] a clean, precise action that shows these killers cannot hide even in relatively built-up places.
Location: Miran Shah, North Waziristan.
References: Washington Post, Xinhua, Geo TV, Dawn, MSNBC, BBC, SATP, France 24, Xinhua, NY Daily News, Reuters, AFP, Long War Journal, Long War Journal, The News, Bureau
Ob75 – March 10 2010
♦ 12 injured
Seven or eight people were reported killed, including 'at least three foreigners of Arab origin', and twelve injured in an initial attack on a housing compound and vehicle reported to be linked to Hafiz Gul Bahadur's group. See Ob76.
Location: Mizar Madakhel, North Waziristan.
References: Geo TV, Online News, ABC News, BBC News, New York Times, Daily Times, Al Jazeera English, Long War Journal, Saba News, Xinhua, Dawn, SATP, Al Jazeera English, The News, Bureau
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Field researchers identify the dead by name (Bureau), unnamed local intelligence officials raise doubt over the status of the dead (Deutsche Presse Agentur), reporters refer to the dead as 'people' rather than 'militants' (Sabanews, Al Jazeera), unnamed tribal source describes rescuers as 'villagers and militants' (The News).
A related attack to Ob75 killed up to seven rescuers, reportedly initially as either villagers or militants, who were using vehicles to pull the dead and injured from the ruins. The Bureau's own researchers in Waziristan reported that two Taliban rescuers died alongside four villagers, who they named as Gulzar, Shamim, Majan and Sarwar. A tribal elder told The News that:
Other people who had gathered there to help the victims of the drone attack returned to their homes in Ziarat village for fear of more attacks as the drones were still flying over the area.
Location: Mizar Madakhel, Datta Khel, North Waziristan.
References: Deutsche Presse Agentur (via Hindustan Times), ABC News, BBC News, Al Jazeera English, Long War Journal, Sabanews, Dawn, SATP, Online News, Al Jazeera English, The News, Jang (Urdu), Bureau (rescuers investigation), Bureau (rescuers data)
Up to eleven people were killed including eight al Qaeda members, 'a ranking Syrian and an Egyptian' included. Two people were injured. Newsweek later carried rare eyewitness testimony from a militant survivor of the attack:
The young Afghan and other members of his Al Qaeda unit were passing through the area in two cars when they made a stop outside a big walled compound, and Hanif was sent to fetch some supplies that had been left there a few days earlier. He knocked at the front door and then politely turned away, toward the cars. In Pashtun country it's considered rude to wait facing someone's door, in case it happens to be answered by a woman. But as Hanif's gaze passed over the cars, one of them exploded. Moments later the other blew up. The roaring blasts from the American Hellfire missiles knocked him down. When the dust cleared, there was only a tangled mess of smoking metal where the cars had been. Seven Al Qaeda Arabs, including a ranking Syrian and an Egyptian, had been killed instantly. But Hanif found a badly injured fighter and tried to help him. "He had serious head and chest injuries," Hanif tells Newsweek. "He died in my lap."
Location: Mohammad Khel, North Waziristan
References: Newsweek, BBC News, AFP, Al Jazeera English, Dawn, Times of India, SATP, Xinhua, Long War Journal, Bureau
Two moving cars were attacked killing five and injuring four according to media reports. One notes: 'The driver of the first car sped away… two missiles missed the target and the third one hit the second car'. 'Foreigners' were reportedly among the dead and a nearby house was also damaged or destroyed.
However in January 2014 the Bureau published a secret Pakistani record of drone strikes and casualties. It listed only three people were killed in the attack, all described as locals.
Location: Hamzoni, North Waziristan.
References: BBC, Al Jazeera English, Dawn, Geo TV, Geo TV, Reuters, AFP, One Pakistan, Long War Journal, Bureau
♦ 2 reported injured
Five people were killed including two 'foreigners', in an attack on an alleged Hafiz Gul Bahadur compound, and a car.
References: BBC News, Al Jazeera English, Dawn, Geo TV, Geo TV, Reuters, AFP, Long War Journal, Bureau
Five to eight were killed in an attack on an alleged militant compound owned by 'a relative of a Taliban commander'.
Location: Sanzali, North Waziristan.
References: CNN, Dawn, Reuters, Daily Times, BBC News, Long War Journal, Bureau
A car parked next to a house and carrying alleged militants was attacked. According to reports six people were killed and three injured. 'The compound, being frequented by militants recently, was also destroyed in the attack', an official told AFP.
Location: Machis, North Waziristan.
References: Long War Journal, Dawn, The Daily Star, Canada.com, CNN, Geo TV, Reuters, Xinhua, BBC News, SATP, Bureau
♦ 0-4 civilians killed
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Reporters indicate doubt over identity of the dead (Dawn/AFP, Reuters), reporting refers to the dead as 'people' (Xinhua, AFP)
Four people, possibly 'foreigners', were reported killed and five injured in an attack on two houses. AFP reported that 'the identities of the dead were not immediately clear, nor whether they were locals or foreigners.' Reuters stated:
One of the two missiles fired by a pilotless drone aircraft hit a village house used by militants as a hideout, killing four people and wounding five others, officials said. The identities of the people killed could not be ascertained. A second missile landed in a nearby field.
However the agency also noted that local militants sealed off the bomb site.
Location: Hurmuz, North Waziristan.
References: Xinhua, Dawn (AFP), Reuters, Long War Journal, France24, SATP, Geo TV
Tappi, March 31 2010 (Photo: Noor Behram)
♦ 5-6 civilians, including one child, reported killed
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Unnamed eyewitnesses identify the dead by name (Noor Behram), anonymous security sources report the dead as 'people' (Dawn/AFP, Geo TV, Balochistan Times).
Up to six people were reported killed and two injured in what was initially described as an attack on alleged militants at a former school. Instead five members of Zamir Gul's family were reported killed. Hovering drones are said to have prevented villagers from providing assistance (Geo TV). According to photographer Noor Behram, who visited the scene and met with survivors,
The attack killed three sons and two daughters-in-law of Zamir Gul. The youngest son killed in this attack was 14 years old.
Behram also said that 'Zamir Gul no longer interacts with anyone in the village and has become a loner following the attack.'
Location: Tappi, North Waziristan.
References: CNN, Dawn, Geo TV, SATP, Xinhua, Balochistan Times (archived), Press TV, Long War Journal
April 2010 – June 2010
Ob84 – April 12 2010
♦ 8-13 civilians reported killed, including 2 children
♦ 2+ injured
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Named villager (Associated Press), initial report of five 'militants' upgraded to 13 'people' (GeoTV)
The compound of 'local militant commander' Tariq Khan was attacked, with initial reports from local officials claiming that four or five militants had died. However total casualties were updated by some to 13, with Associated Press citing a named villager:
Noor Gul, a resident in the village, disputed that [claim by Pakistani intelligence officials], saying 13 civilians, including two children, were killed.
In January 2014 the Bureau published a secret Pakistan government report that said 14 people were killed in the attack – all were described as locals.
Location: Boya, North Waziristan.
References: Geo TV, Geo TV, Dawn (AFP), Xinhua, Associated Press, Long War Journal, The Daily Times, SATP, Bureau
Four 'Arab militants' were reportedly killed and one injured after pulling their car over to pray by the roadside.
References: BBC News, Geo TV, The Daily Times, CNN, Dawn, Long War Journal, The News, Hindustan times, SATP, Bureau
An attack destroyed a car killed and killed at least three alleged militants. Some reports claimed that rescuers were then targeted by a drone, killing a further three and that some 22 people were reported injured. However the Bureau's own researchers in Waziristan report that only militants were killed in the attack.
Location: Tol Khel, North Waziristan.
References: AFP, Dawn, The Daily Times, Xinhua, SATP, Al Jazeera English, Long War Journal, One Pakistan, Jang (Urdu), Bureau
♦ 'Several' injured
Between seven and nine people were killed and 'several' more injured in an evening attack on a house containing suspected militants.
Location: Machi Khel, North Waziristan.
References: CNN, Geo TV, Geo TV, Xinhua, Xinhua, Reuters, Long War Journal, SATP, prisonplanet.com, prisonplanet.com, prisonplanet.com, Bureau
The home of local Taliban leader Haleem Khan was targeted but survived. Initial media reports said six to eight people were reported killed and three injured. However a secret Pakistani report said three people were killed in this attack, one described as a local and two as 'non-local'. The Bureau published the document in January 2014.
Location: Khushali, North Waziristan.
References: Geo TV, BBC News, SATP, Reuters, Xinhua, Dawn, Long War Journal, Bangkok Post, Radio Netherlands Africa, Daily Times, Bureau
Ob89 – May 3 2010
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Reporter refers to the dead as 'people' (Dawn, Express Tribune), reports of missile hitting building as well as car (Express Tribune)
Almost all agencies reported that a car was destroyed, killing four alleged militants. As Geo TV reported:
Three missiles were fired minutes apart at a moving vehicle in the Marsi Khel area in North Waziristan, said two intelligence officials who confirmed the death toll.'
However the Express Tribune reported that a house was also hit by a missile and that six people overall had died, indicating possible civilian deaths.
Later speculation suggested that German alleged militant Eric Breininger, alias Abdul Gaffar el-Almani, may have died in the strike. However Breininger and two other Germans (Danny Reinders and Ahmet Manavbasi) reportedly died in a 'gunfight' with soldiers near Mir Ali on either April 28 or April 30, according to a militant group.
References: Geo TV, Dawn, Express Tribune, SATP, Long War Journal, Bureau
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Pakistani security officials name local tribesman (Al Jazeera), local intelligence official (South Asia News), reporters refer to 'people' rather than 'militants' (Xinhua, Xinhua)
The house of Awar Gul was reported to have been 'completely destroyed' in a CIA drone strike. Most agencies reported only that 10 alleged militants had been killed. However an anonymous Pakistani intelligence officer told South Asia News that four of those killed were civilians. And in January 2014 a secret Pakistani record of drone strikes, published by the Bureau, said five people were killed. They were all listed as 'local'
Location: Inzarkas, Datta Khel, North Waziristan.
References: Reuters, Geo TV, BBC News, Daily Times, Al Jazeera English, Dawn, South Asia News, AFP, Xinhua, Xinhua, Press TV, Bureau
Ob91 – May 11 2010
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following report: Anonymous official and tribal sources (The News).
A reported swarm of up to nine drones fired as many as 12 missiles at cars and a housing compound allegedly linked to militant commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur. The attack killed up to 14 people including, reportedly, villagers. A local official told a journalist: 'It's terrible. They intend to intensify the drone attacks as the number of planes hovering over the area has gone up dramatically.' The New York Times reported a local resident as saying that 'he saw a truck stacked with empty coffins heading for Datta Khel after the attack.'
Only The News reported civilian deaths, noting that militants claimed that only 10 of their men had died.
The official and tribal sources said 13 people, including villagers and militants, were killed in the first round of missile strikes… An official of the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) on condition of anonymity said death toll might rise as some of the missiles struck houses of local tribesmen in the village. He said five tribesmen injured in the attack in Doga were brought to the Agency Headquarters Hospital in Miramshah and three others were rushed to Peshawar.
Location: Lawra Mandi, Datta Khel, North Waziristan.
References: AFP, Reuters, Al Jazeera English, Geo TV, New York Times, Xinhua, Dawn, Long War Journal, Press TV, SATP, The News, BBC News, Bureau
Between seven and fifteen suspected militants were reported killed and four people injured in an attack on a what most sources described as a 'militant camp.'. One source, The News, reported that the location was the 'hideout' of Maulvi Sadiq Noor, a militant commander. A secret Pakistan government record – published by the Bureau – of drone strikes listed eight locals killed in this attack.
Location: Gurwak, North Waziristan.
References: Reuters, Geo TV, Xinhua, Dawn, Long War Journal, Press TV, SATP, The News, BBC News, Bureau
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following report: Unnamed local officials (The News).
A house and two trucks were attacked in the first known fatal strike in the Khyber Agency. Some reports placed the death toll as low as five, though others reported 15 killed, including local TTP commander Gul Saeed and two civilians, according to The News:
Assistant Political Agent of Landikotal subdivision Azam Jan confirmed the attack and said 15 people had been killed and another 15 were injured in the attack.
Location: Tirah Valley, Khyber Agency.
References: The Daily Times, Dawn, The News, Long War Journal, Xinhua, Defence Viewpoints, The News, Bureau
Fatima killed on May 21 2010 (Photo: Noor Behram)
♦ 11 total killed
♦ 10 civilians reported killed, including 7 children
♦ 7-10 injured, reported as women and children
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Unnamed intelligence officials (IANS, CNN), reporters (The Atlantic, Dawn), anonymous sources (Geo TV, Geo TV), residents (Reuters), al Qaeda statement (Associated Press), photo of wounded child (Noor Behram/Salon), internal al Qaeda documents (CNN).
A senior militant and a large number of civilians were reported killed in an attack on a vehicle convoy which also destroyed nearby buildings. Various media reported that between five and nine civilians died. Local photographer Noor Behram reached the scene shortly afterwards, and reported that brother and sister Nisar and Fatima were killed along with their mother; and that Naeem and his mother were also killed. All were members of Shams Ullah's family. As many as five women and five children were also injured, described as relatives of a man named as Khaili Jan. AFP reported that Jan had rented out his home 'to a militant group attached with Taliban-linked Afghan warlord Hafiz Gul Bahadur.'
However al Qaeda, which later confirmed that its chief finance official and Afghanistran commander Mustafa Abu Yazid (aka Saeed al Masri) had died in the attack (describing him as 'the Prince of financial Princes'), said the strike was on a 'convoy of martyrs.' An al Qaeda statement released shortly after the strike and an internal communication confirmed Abu Yazid's wife, three daughters and a granddaughter died in the attack. One 'Arab' and four 'local militants' were also reported killed.
The Washington Post reported Yazid's death in February 2011 along with Ahmed Mohammed Hamed Ali. It is not clear when Hamed Ali died in 2010. His name was removed from the UN list of al Qaeda terrorists in March 2015.
A munitions fragment found at the scene was later linked to a Hellfire missile manufactured by Lockheed Martin. Clive Stafford-Smith of Reprieve wrote of the case:
Forensically, it is important to show how the crime of murder happened (which is what it is here). One almost always uses the murder weapon in a case. But perhaps more important I think this physical proof — this missile killed this child [Fatima] — is important to have people take it seriously.
Location: Boya, Mohammad Khel, North Waziristan.
References: The Atlantic, Dawn, Geo TV, IANS, CNN, CNN, Xinhua, Defence Viewpoints, Xinhua, AFP, Reuters, Long War Journal, Associated Press, The Guardian, New York Times, AP, Dawn, Long War Journal, Salon, The News, ABC News, Bureau, CNN, Washington Post, United Nations
Tribesmen with boy injured on May 21 2010, Miran Shah (Photo: Getty Images)
♦ 0-11 civilians killed
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Unnamed residents (The Nation).
Al Qaeda's Osama bin Ali bin al Dawsari and local Taliban leader Omar Khaitab were reported to be among the dead following an attack which killed up to twelve people. Dawn said that
Dawsari was reportedly killed when he was attending a meeting in the house of Omar Khaitab, a close associate of militant commander Maulvi Nazir. Local people said that Khaitab, two other tribesmen and an Afghan national were killed in the attack.
The Nation reported that 'residents of the area said those killed were not militants and were from a local family.' In January 2014 the Bureau published a secret Pakistani record of CIA drones trikes. It listed this strike, saying seven locals and two non-locals were killed.
Location: Mizai Nari, South Waziristan.
References: The Nation, Geo TV, Our Bombs, CNN, Washington Post, Dawn, Xinhua, Long War Journal, Long War Journal, Bureau
Ob96 – June 10 2010
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Affidavit to UN Human Rights Council (Reprieve), reporter refers to 'people' rather than 'militants' (Express Tribune, Geo TV)
Initial reports said three foreign militants were killed in the strike. And three names named members of al Qaeda later emerged however it is not clear if the three were killed in Ob96 or Ob97. A press release from the Taifatul Mansura Group named three men killed in a US drone strike on June 10 or June 11 as: al Qaeda's Sheikh Ihsanullah; Abu Ibrahim, 'a commander of the Fursan i Mohammed Group'; and Harun – described as a Turkish fighter.
Subsequently, lawyer Mirza Shahzad Akbar, representing a surviving family member, identified four previously unreported Pakistani civilians also killed in the attack: Saed Kamal, the house owner, and three neighbours, Amanullah, Sahib Rehman and Sakhi Rehman. In a case placed before the UN Human Rights Council in February 2012 Akbar stated:
Mohsin is a resident of Sara Alunah, Miranshah, North Waziristan, Pakistan. On Thursday, June 10, 2010, he was at his house with his brother, Syed Kamal, his neighbors Syed Amanullah, Sahib Rehman, and Sakhi Rehman. At 7pm a drone aircraft fired a missile at his house, destroying part of the building and a nearby car. His brothers and his neighbors were all killed. None of Mohsin's family or any of the other victims have any connection to terrorist activity or organizations.
References: Reuters, AFP, Geo TV, Pakistan Tribune, Reprieve, Long War Journal, militant press release, Bureau
Ten or more people were reported killed, among them 'Arabs, Uzbeks and Chechens', and a dozen were injured in a strike that destroyed two houses. Circling drones 'created panic' among villagers following the attack, according to reports. A local resident told Pajhwok: 'Soon after the attack, men toting machineguns arrived in three pick-up vehicles and cordoned off the area, the resident said. The dead and wounded were taken from beneath the rubble of the house.'
The strike reportedly hit in the very early morning. In the day after the attack a press release from the Taifatul Mansura Group named three men killed in US drone strike on June 10 or June 11. They were: al Qaeda's Sheikh Ihsanullah; Abu Ibrahim, 'a commander of the Fursan i Mohammed Group'; and Harun – described as a Turkish fighter. It is not clear if the three were killed in Ob96 or Ob97.
References: Geo TV, dnaindia.com, Pajhwok, Dawn, The Nation, BBC, CNN, Pakistan Tribune, Xinhua, Long War Journal, Uruknet, militant press release, Bureau
♦ 10-18 injured
According to reports a group of 'militants' meeting covertly inside a local water plant was attacked, and a nearby house rented from Malik Mir Sharof was also destroyed. Up to 17 alleged militants were killed and 18 injured, many from the Islamic Jihad Union. Al Qaeda's Sheikh Abu Ahmad Arkash or Tarkash was later reported among the dead. A militant commander confirmed casualties to The News. A secret Pakistani government document said two locals and 14 non-locals were killed in the attack. The document was an official record of CIA drone strikes and was published by the Bureau in January 2014.
Location: Haider Khel, Mir Ali, North Waziristan.
References: The News, Xinhua, Pakistan Tribune, BBC News, New York Times, CNN, Al Jazeera English, Xinhua, Geo TV, Geo TV, Long War Journal, Dawn, Long War Journal, Al Jazeera English, sananews.net, The News, Bureau
Between two and four alleged militants were reported killed and three injured in an attack on the reputed home of Hameedullah.
References: Geo TV, Daily Times, Express Tribune, BBC News, AFP, AFP, Xinhua, Bureau
Ob100 – June 27 2010
Six people were reported killed and four were injured in an attack on a car and a house or seminary. Some reports claimed that Taliban commander Hamza Mehsud was killed.
References: AFP, Daily Times, The Guardian, Dawn, Xinhua, Xinhua, Long War Journal, Express Tribune, Bureau
Hamza al-Jufi, a long-time Egyptian resident of Waziristan and an alleged militant, was killed with up to nine others, including 'two Punjabi fighters and five local Taliban', in an attack on a house reputedly belonging to Maulana Halimullah.
Location: Kari Kot, South Waziristan.
References: New York Times, AFP, Reuters,BBC NEws, Express Tribune, Geo TV, CNN, New York Times, Dawn, Xinhua, Long War Journal, ThaIndian.com, SATP, Antiwar.com, Prison Planet, BBC News, Bureau
July 2010 – September 2010
Ob102 – July 15 2010
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Tribal elders (BBC News).
Up to 14 people were killed in a strike on a housing compound, including alleged 'foreign militants'. However the BBC reported that although up to 14 people were reported killed, only seven were being reported as alleged militants:
Tribal elders in the area told the BBC that many of those killed were civilians staying in a village house.
Location: Sheerani, North Waziristan.
References: BBC News, Al Jazeera (archived), SATP, Our Bombs, AFP, CNN, Bureau
♦ 24+ injured
Between 16-18 alleged militants linked to local Taliban leader Maulana Halimullah were killed in an attack by two drones on a housing compound. Some 'foreign fighters' may have been among the dead, according to local media reports. But in January 2014 the Bureau published an internal Pakistani government record of CIA drones strikes. It listed 16 'locals' killed in this attack.
Location: Dwasarak, South Waziristan.
References: The Daily Times, Geo TV, Press TV, BBC News, CNN, Al Jazeera English, Express Tribune, Long War Journal, Bureau
♦ 7 injured, at least 5 of them civilians
Fourteen suspected TTP militants were killed when a car and housing compound were destroyed, according to reports at the time of the strike. Seven people were injured, including five civilians in a nearby house, media accounts. However, in January 2014 the Bureau published an internal Pakistani government record of CIA drone strikes. It listed this strike as killing 32 locals. The document said: '17 militants were killed in the attack of Hideout [sic] and 15 in Double Cab Pickup.'
Location: Shaktoi, South Waziristan.
References: Karachi Page, uavpilot.org, SATP, The Nation, CNN, Geo TV, Daily Times, BBC News, defence.pk, World Tribune Pakistan, Bureau
An attack on a house killed up to seven people, some or all reported to be militants linked to the Haqqani Network.
References: Karachi Page, uavpilot.org, CNN, The Daily Times, Express Triune, BBC News, The Nation, Geo TV, Long War Journal, Bureau
Four alleged TTP militants were reportedly killed and five injured as they ate dinner in a house.
Location: Landikhel, Sararogha, South Waziristan.
References: Karachipage, BBC News, The Nation
Related article: CIA's claims of 'no civilian deaths in Pakistan untrue.
Ob107 – August 14 2010
♦ 7 civilians reported killed including 1 child
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Named locals (Associated Press), unnamed residents describe some or all of the dead as 'people' rather than 'militants' (Dawn, Express Tribune).
An attack during Ramadan prayers killed TTP local commander Amir Movia and other alleged militants, some described as 'foreigners'. A nearby house was also hit. Fourteen people in total died with five injured, according to reports at the time. In February 2012, after extensive field research, Associated Press gave more details about the attack, revealing seven civilians including a child were among the dead. Citing three separate and named sources AP noted:
The attack killed seven Pakistani Taliban fighters and seven tribesmen, said Shera Deen, the owner of the compound that was hit. Safir Ullah, a student, corroborated the casualty count, as did a third villager who spoke on condition of anonymity. Deen, who was not in the compound when it was attacked, said he lost two sons, a brother and three nephews, one of them 10 years old. The seventh tribesman killed was 26-year-old Sohrab Khan, who was leading evening prayers for the Islamic holy month of Ramadan when the missiles struck, the villagers said.
AP went on to report: 'According to them, the Taliban fighters entered the compound to join the prayers, which would explain why they were bunched together with civilians. The tribesmen were buried in a graveyard with a wooden headstone indicating they were victims of a drone attack, the villagers said. The Taliban fighters were buried in a different corner of the same graveyard in an unmarked grave.'
In January 2014 the Bureau published an internal Pakistani record of CIA drone strikes that said 13 people were killed in this attack. The document said: 'The dead included 07 Mehsuds, 05 locals and 01 unknown.'
Location: Asori, North Waziristan
References: Christian Science Monitor, Dawn, Geo TV, Geo TV, Express Tribune, BBC News, Voice of America, The News, Associated Press, Bureau
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Unnamed sources (Dawn).
Up to six people were killed and two injured in an attack on two cars. Although most reported the dead as militants, a subsequent report from Dawn claimed that all the dead were civilians and that the intended target had left the area.
The car was parked near the house of Akbar Din, a tribesman, in Qutab Khel area of North Waziristan. Sources said those killed and injured were local people. They said that a suspected car had passed through the area before the attack.
Location: Qutab Khel, North Waziristan
References: Times of India, Geo TV, The Daily Times, SATP, Long War Journal, Dawn, Bureau
The remnants of Bismullah's house, August 23 2010 (Photo: Reprieve/Noor Behram)
♦ 7-9 civilians reported killed, including 2-3 children
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Unnamed Pakistani intelligence officials (Reuters, LA Times), reporter (Dawn), eyewitness account (Noor Behram – a photographer), field researchers (Bureau).
As many as nine civilians including four women and two or three children were reported killed in an attack on an alleged Haqqani Network compound. Although 10 alleged militants were said to have been killed in an attack on a building, the next-door house was also hit. According to Dawn 'The missiles also hit a house adjacent to the compound, killing three men and four women and injuring 15 others.' Two children also died, the 8- and 10-year-old sons of Bismullah and his wife, who were both killed as well. They left behind three orphans (pictured below). Local photographer Noor Behram, who visited the site shortly after the attack, wrote:
The three other children were saved as they were thrown away by the blast and only sustained minor injuries. The children were traumatized and not willing to accept the deaths of their parents in front of their eyes. The surviving kids were unable to utter a word and not even crying, just numb.
The CIA was later reported to have changed its rules of engagement following this strike. Senior US intelligence sources insisted for almost a year that no civilians had died in Pakistan drone strikes since this date, until challenged by a Bureau investigation.
Location: Danda Darpakhel, North Waziristan
References: Reuters, CNN, Long War Journal, Los Angeles Times, Radio Free Europe, Dawn, Bureau, Bureau (civilian investigation), Bureau (civilian data), Bureau
The Bismullah family's orphans (Photo: Noor Behram)
According to limited reports an alleged Taliban housing compound was attacked killing up to seven people and injuring as many as a dozen.
Location: Darga Mandi, North Waziristan
References: Dawn, Times of India, Los Angeles Times
♦ 2+injured
Two vehicles 'recently crossed from Afghanistan' were destroyed in a rare Kurram Agency attack, the first of three that day. Nine suspected Haqqani Network (or alternately TTP) militants were killed and two injured, according to reports at the time of the strike. The News reported that TTP commander Fazal Saeed was the intended target.
However the Pakistani government recorded only three 'non-local' people were killed in the attack. The document said 'the dead are said to be Afghan nationals.' The Bureau published the internal Pakistani casualty assessment of the drone strikes in January 2014.
Location: Shahidano, Kurram Agency.
References: AFP, Earth Times, CNN, AFP, Geo TV, MSNBC, rttnews.com, The News, Bureau
A strike destroyed a residential compound. No casualty figures are available.
Location: Badshah Kot, Kurram Agency
References: Earth Times, rttnews.com
In the third of three related attacks in Kurram, a strike killed three alleged Haqqani militants and damaged a nearby mosque.
The Bureau spoke with a witness of the strike in October 2013. The witness asked to remain anonymous. Speaking in Islamabad, he told the Bureau he was staying in a hotel in Bagan when the attack came. He said: 'The drones were above; I didn't sleep. They were firing about three missiles on the target. We were sitting outside the mosque in a garden and saw it bang. Three persons were dead and two were injured. They were villagers – they were not criminals.'
Khenmat Khan, 30-35, Said Khan and Nammatullah were traders who had combined their business, he said. The witness told the Bureau Khemat Khan was his neighbour. He was a 'very serious man', he added.
Although the witness could not provide the exact date, he described a strike that took place at night in Kurram Agency in Baggan or Taaloo Gaig, that hit a house and a mosque, and that killed three people. This is the strike that most closely matches that description.
In January 2014 the Bureau published an internal Pakistani record of drone strikes. It said a US drone fired four missiles at a mosque and killed two 'locals' in this attack.
Location: Taaloo Ganj, Kurram Agency
References: Earth Times, rttnews.com, Bureau, Bureau
Ob114 – September 3 2010
According to reports between six and nine people, described at 'four foreigners and six local tribesmen', were killed and three wounded in an attack on alleged militants in a house reputedly belonging to Gul Adam Khan.
References: Dawn, Geo TV, Express Tribune, Long War Journal, Bureau
Bricks and rubble from strike Ob116 (Photo: Noor Behram)
Conflicting accounts suggested that a car and compound were attacked, with two to four people killed, possibly 'foreigners', and 'a few others' injured. Photographic evidence (right) from the scene, taken by local photographer Noor Behram, shows a building completely destroyed.
Location: Khadar Khel, North Waziristan
References: Dawn, Geo TV, Express Tribune, CNN, khaleejtimes.com, Long War Journal, Bureau
Eight alleged militants, reportedly including 'five locals and three foreigners', were killed and twelve people injured in an attack on a housing compound and vehicle. A Taliban commander called Inayatullah was reportedly among the dead.
Location: Maizer, North Waziristan.
References: CNN, SATP, Long War Journal, Dawn, Bureau
A few media reports at the time of the strike said six alleged militants were killed in an attack on a car. However an internal Pakistani record of US drone strikes, published by the Bureau in January 2014, listed three people killed in this attack. The document said: 'At about 1710 hours, US drone carried out missile strike at a car, boarded by suspected militants'
Location: Khar Qamar area, North Waziristan
References: CNN, Dawn, BBC News, Geo TV, SATP, Long War Journal, Bureau
♦ 4 civilians reported killed, all children
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Local people (Dawn), field researchers (Bureau).
Four children, relatives of Din Mohammad, and six alleged Haqqani Network militants were killed according to initial reports. However an internal Pakistani report published by the Bureau in January 2014 listed five locals were killed in this attack. The Bureau's Waziristan researchers, following up on initial media reports of civilian deaths, reported:
Din Mohammad's son, nephew and two daughters were killed. His son was a student of the Waziristan Cadet School in Miram Shah. The other children were below school-going age. Villagers in Danda Darpakhel insist Din Mohammad wasn't a Taliban militant. His house was adjacent to a compound that served as hideout of the Haqqani Network fighters. Six militants in that compound were killed, but the missile strike also hit Din Mohammad'shouse and killed the young children.
A US official later challenged the Bureau's findings, telling the New York Times that while it accepted that a nearby house was also hit, it was only aware of injuries in the attack: 'The claim of four children killed is completely unsubstantiated. A small group of militants were killed that day when the compound – where they were making a car bomb to take across the border into Afghanistan – was targeted. The explosives ignited, injuring two in a neighboring compound who were escorted from the site.'
The Bureau notes that the US itself now admits that it hit a nearby compound causing civilian casualties. Our field researchers are clear that members of Din Mohammad's family were killed, as also reported by credible media at the time.
References: SATP, Dawn, Long War Journal, CNN, Geo TV, New York Times, Bureau (civilian investigation), Bureau (civilian data), Bureau
♦ 0-4 civilians possibly killed
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Reporter refers to 'foreigners' rather 'militants (Dawn), reporter referes to 'people' rather than 'militants' (Geo TV).
Four people, described only as 'people' or as 'foreigners', were reportedly killed as their car traveled on the Datta Khel road, in a strike that also injured one man.
Location: Deegan, North Waziristan
References: CNN, Geo TV, Dawn, Bureau (civilian investigation), Bureau (civilian data), Bureau
Ten or more people were killed in a fresh attack on Danda Darpakhel. British 'Taliban supporter' Abdul Jabbar was initially reported killed along with Uzbek commander 'Qureshi'. Al Qaeda's Fahd Mohammad Ahmed al-Quso, who was also supposedly killed in the strike, emerged alive in December 2010. Abdul Jabbar also possibly died the following month on October 4 in Ob140.
However an internal Pakistani record, published by the Bureau in 2014, did not list any deaths in this attack. This secret record of the CIA drone programme contradicts numerous media reports from the time of this strike.
References: The News, AFP, CNN, Christian Science Monitor, BBC News, sify.com, The Guardian, The Hindu, yobserver.com, Dawn, cageprisoners.com, Long War Journal, Long War Journal, Asia Times, Bureau
Between three and six foreigners were reportedly killed in this attack. Initial reports said six alleged Uzbek militants were killed and five people injured in an attack on a housing compound. Locals are said to have made an announcement from the mosque asking for help with the rescue. However a secret Pakistani record of CIA drone strikes, published by the Bureau in January 2014, three 'non-locals' were reportedly killed and three people were injured. The document said 'the killed and injured were Uzbek'.
Location: Machis, North Waziristan
References: Dawn, Geo TV, SATP, adnkronos.com, Bureau
Ob122 – September 12 2010
Up to seven suspected militants were killed, reportedly including 'two Arabs' in an attack on a house. At least two people needed medical treatment.
Location: Newey Adda, North Waziristan.
References: Al Jazeera English, Dawn, Dawn, Geo TV, The News, CNN, Press TV, Bureau
Up to twelve alleged militants were killed and four injured in an attack on what is thought to have been an Haqqani Network housing compound. Local villagers led the rescue operation. A secret Pakistani document, published by the Bureau in January 2014, listed this strike as killing 11 locals. The official record of CIA strikes said drones 'attacked (a) militants compound…with guided missiles' at about 6.45am (1.45am GMT).
Location: Bushnarai, North Waziristan.
References: Express Tribune, BBC, Geo TV, CNN, SATP, Dawn, Bureau
Four alleged Haqqani militants were killed when a car was destroyed. Militant commander Saifullah Haqqani, a close relative of Sirajuddin Haqqani, was later reported to be among the dead.
Location: Qutab Khel, North Waziristan.
References: Express Tribune, CNN, Dawn, Geo TV, CNN, The Daily Times, Long War Journal
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Unnamed tribal sources say 'people' rather than 'militants' killed (Pakistan Tribune), unnamed villagers report an unspecified number of civilians killed (The News), field researchers identify civilian dead by name (Bureau).
According to reports villagers fled in panic as up to 11 drones attacked two housing compounds linked to the Haqqani Network. 'As the US drones came over the village people started shouting and running here and there shouting 'run, drones have come," a local tribesman told AFP.
Among up to fifteen dead were eight rescuers, killed when the drones struck again. The News quoted a local Pakistan government official as saying 'We have some reports about the killing of rescue workers but the house struck by the drones was said to be a militant hideout.' The paper added:
Villagers said the drones first fired four missiles, killing seven people, including some believed to be militants. After an interval of 15 minutes, the villagers said, the drones fired eight more missiles and targeted the tribesmen and some militants engaged in rescue work.
The Bureau's own field researchers reported that of eight rescuers killed, three were Taliban, the other five villagers named as 'Yahya, Samin, Niamatullah, Shahzad and Ilyas belonging to the Dawar tribe.'
References: Pakistan Tribune, The News, Dawn, The Daily Times, AFP, Reuters, Rediff, Jang (Urdu), Bureau (rescuers investigation), Bureau (rescuers data), Bureau (civilian investigation), Bureau (civilian data), Bureau
Between Four and seven alleged militants were reported killed and three people injured in an attack on a housing compound. A secret Pakistani record of drone strikes, published in January 2014 by the Bureau,
References: Daily Times, Dawn, Bureau
♦ 5 civilians reportedly killed
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Unnamed sources say 'people' killed (Dawn), private TV report of 'five local welfare workers' killed (The Nation).
A vehicle was reportedly destroyed in a strike and either three locals, four suspected Haqqani militants, or 'five people' were reportedly killed. Five local welfare workers were also reported killed when a second vehicle was apparently struck. The Nation reported:
One of the missiles reportedly hit a vehicle carrying five local welfare workers and all of them were said to be killed. There are also reports saying at least four foreign militants belonging to Hafiz Gulbahbdur group were killed in the strike.
Location: Deegan, Datta Khel, North Waziristan.
References: AFP, Express Tribune, SATP, Dawn, The Nation, Bureau (civilian investigation), Bureau (civilian data), Bureau
♦ 0-3 civilians reportedly killed
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Unnamed local people said three 'people' killed as well as three 'militants' (allvoices.com).
An attack killed two or three alleged militants on a motorbike – all locals according to a secret Pakistani record of strikes published by the Bureau in January 2014. Drones then reportedly killed two or three others retrieving the bodies with reports varying on whether the rescuers were militants or civilians. AFP reported a security official, for example, as saying
The drone fired one missile on two terrorists riding on a motorbike and when two of their colleagues rushed towards them, two more missiles were fired.
The Bureau's own field researchers could not confirm whether any rescuers had been killed in the attack, or their status.
Location: Darazinda, North Waziristan.
References: SATP, allvoices.com, Dawn (AFP), Long War Journal, The Nation, The Nation, Bureau (civilian investigation), Bureau (civilian data), Bureau (rescuers investigation), Bureau (rescuers data), Bureau
Up to nine suspected militants were reported killed and five people injured in the first strike in South Waziristan for many weeks. The attack on a vehicle was, according to one report, aimed at militant Mullah Shamsullah, but he was not killed. However a secret Pakistani document published by the Bureau in January 2014 partly contradicted this narrative. It said: 'Five missiles were fired from [a] Drone on the Markaz [headquarters] of Commander Shamsullah Karmaz Khel group', a 'branch office' of Maulvi Nazir's armed group. The official record said nine local men were killed.
Location: Khand Morsak, South Waziristan.
References: Islamweb, The Nation, english.cri.cn, AFP, CNN, Al Jazeera English, BBC News, SATP, Bureau
Confused reports of an attack on either a bazaar, a house, or the funeral of victims of Ob130, killed 16 alleged militants, including, it was claimed, Maulvi Nazir's second in command Mullah Shamsullah – although NATO later reportedly killed Shamsullah in Afghanistan in April 2011.
However a secret Pakistani document recorded a different narrative for this strike. The document, published by the Bureau in January 2014, said drones fired two missiles on a house in this strike. But it said 'no loss of life or property occurred/reported'.
Location: Azam Warsak, South Waziristan.
References: BBC, english.cri.cn, Al Jazeera English, Dawn, Long War Journal, The Nation, Der Spiegel, Bureau (rescuers investigation), Bureau (rescuers data), Bureau
Ob130c – September 21 2010
♦ 8 total reported killed
♦ Civilian deaths possible
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Reporters identify 'people' killed rather than 'militants' (Al Jazeera English, The Nation).
Two sources claim that up to eight people were killed in a third strike of the day. No further details are known, and the Bureau presently treats this only as a possible strike.
References: Al Jazeera English, The Nation, Bureau (civilian investigation), Bureau (civilian data)
Al Qaeda's operational commander in Pakistan, Shaikh al-Fatah, also known as Abdul Razzak, was killed along with Haji Niaz, Naimatullah and one other when a car was destroyed. However a secret Pakistani record of CIA drone strikes said only two people were killed in this attack, one reportedly a foreigner. The official document was created by the local political administration and published by the Bureau in January 2014.
Location: Datta Khel, near Miram Shah, North Waziristan
References: BBC News, AFP, CNN, The News, BBC News, Reuters, AFP, The Telegraph, CNN, Geo TV, The News, View Point Online, Bureau
Cluster of attacks 26 September 2010
Three separate attacks were reported on September 26 2010, all in the North Waziristan region. As many as seven CIA drones were said to be involved in the operation – usually an indication that a 'High Value Target' was being pursued. However, no named militants were reported among the 9-12 people killed that day.
Four suspected militants were reported killed and two injured in an attack on a truck and house, in the first of a series of three attacks. Three Arabs were reportedly killed in the strike, as well as two locals, according to a secret Pakistani government report published by the Bureau in January 2014.
Location: Lawra Mandi, Datta Khel, North Waziristan
References: Dawn, SATP, Xinhua, BBC News, Xinhua, Express Tribune, Bureau
♦ Possible civilian casualties
A Jeep was destroyed and between three and five people killed in an attack involving up to seven drones. Though some media described the men as militants, other sources only referred to those killed as 'people', with Dawn for example noting: 'The identity of those killed could not be ascertained, [our] sources said.' In January 2014 the Bureau published an internal record of drone strikes compiled by the local administration. It listed four people killed in this attack – two locals and two Arabs.
Location: West of Miram Shah, North Waziristan.
References: Dawn, BBC News, Xinhua, Bureau (civilian investigation), Bureau (civilian data), Bureau
In the third attack of the day, two or three 'people' were reportedly killed when missile targeted a car.
References: Dawn, Xinhua
Up to four alleged militants were killed in an attack on a house or 'rebel compound' in the volatile tribal region.
References: AFP, CNN, Express Tribune, SATP, Long War Journal, Dawn, Xinhua, Bureau
Four suspected militants were reportedly killed in a drone attack on a house or compound possibly linked to militant commander Maulvi Nazir.
A number of named alleged militants were reportedly killed at this time though not specifically in this strike. Saudi Arabian Abu Abdur Rehman Najdi, a senior al Qaeda figure, was reportedly killed in late September. Two other senior al Qaeda operatives, Abu Sahl al Masri and Abu Hafs al Masri, who had been released from prison in Iraq were also reportedly killed in a drone strike at this time. And al Qaeda linked militant Abdullah Ukashah (aka Rasool), was killed reportedly killed along with his local facilitator Rab Nawaz in the same report though it gave no date for the strike.
Location: Zeba Pahar, South Waziristan.
References: Dawn, Geo TV, Reuters, The Telegraph, AFP, Dawn, SATP, Long War Journal, Bureau
October 2010 – December 2010
Ob137 – October 2 2010
According to reports up to ten people were killed, including the Pakistan Taliban's 'suicide bombing mastermind' Qari Hussain, in a strike on a house. Hussain had been linked to hundreds of suicide bombing attacks on Pakistan's military and civilian populations, which have killed thousands. However the United States categorised Hussain as a terrorist on January 20th 2011, raising doubts about his death:
Qari Hussain is one of TTP's top lieutenants and also serves as the trainer and organizer of the group's suicide bombers. Training camps organized by Hussain are notorious for recruiting and training men of all ages as suicide bombers, and Hussain has gained particular notoriety for his heavy recruitment of children.
Location: Inzarkas, North Waziristan.
References: Geo TV, Al Jazeera English, BBC News, CNN, New York Times, Al Jazeera English, Xinhua, Xinhua, Express Tribune, spacewar.com, SATP, Dawn, Reuters, Long War Journal, OnePakistan, Bureau
A double strike on a house and car reportedly killed up to fourteen people and injured two more. An investigation by Associated Press based on field reports found that all of those killed were militants, according to local witnesses. A secret Pakistani document, published by the Bureau in January 2014, listed seven locals killed in this strike.
References: CNN, Xinhua, Dawn, Geo TV, New York Times, Al Jazeera English, Express Tribune, Press TV, Spacewar.com, SATP, Reuters, Long War Journal, OnePakistan, AP, Bureau
♦ 0-3 civilians reported killed including possible child deaths
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Reporter (Al Jazeera English).
A strike against a building adjacent to a mosque reportedly killed a number of German militants (initially reported to be eight individuals) and possibly one Briton. Reports remain confused about who actually died that day. Confirmed killed are German-Turkish Binyamin Erdogan aka Imran der Deutsch, whose brother Emrah survived the attack; and German-Iranian Shahab Dashti. Also possibly killed were Hayrettin Burhan Sauerland, German-Turkish; Abdul Aziz Taciki and Hattab Taciki; and one Briton named as Abdul Jabbar (also reported to have died September 8.) Others reported killed at the time have since been shown to be alive, including Fatih Temelli aka Abdel Fattah al-Almani; Rami Makanesi; Naamen Meziche; and Said Bahaji. The Express Tribune also published a garbled list of those killed, whom it named as 'Fayyaz aka Bruseley; Gagreen Gill aka Siraj; Milton Smith aka Jamal; Wash aka Mustafa; and Johnson aka Wasal. It also named named Anderson aka Waqas, Paterson aka Shaheen and Peterson Mckenzie aka Usman.' Militants later reported that only five people had died in the strike:
On 4 October 2010, accompanied by four other Mujahidin, the fate befell him that is predetermined for each creature. Abu Askar, our honest friend, died together with the German-Turkish brother Imran, who had been here no longer than four weeks, and three brothers of the Pakistani Taliban from Mehsud. All five of them sat together for a meal, when one of those perfidious US drones fired a rocket into the middle of their blessed circle. Alhamdulillah [praise be to God], our brother Abu Askar received what he longed for so much. And now he is lying there, a Hamburg Mujahid buried in Waziristan.
The case later reportedly led to German intelligence halting any supply of material to the CIA which might endanger German lives. Al Jazeera reported the additional deaths of three women and possibly children in the attack. In March 2012 Ahmad Wali Siddiqui – one of a dozen Germans who had left the country to 'fight jihad' – went on trial in Germany on terrorism charges. He had been apprehended by US forces in Afghanistan in July 2010 and had provided details on the group under interrogation. On May 23 2012 the Koblenz state court convicted Siddiqui of membership in a terrorist organisation and sentenced him to six years.
A graphic reconstruction of the house where Bunyamin was killed – Forensic Architecture
In February 2013, the Bureau learned from sources that a number of civilians survived the strike, including the pregnant wife and two young children of Emrah Erdogan. And in July 2013 the German prosecutors decided not to file war crime charges over the death of Binyamin Erdogan. The federal prosecutor opened an investigation in 2012 that they discontinued after deciding Erdogan was a combatant, not a civilian covered by international law.
Location: Mir Ali, North Waziristan.
References: Express Tribune, Express Tribune, Deutsche Pressur-Agentur, CNN, memri.org, Der Spiegel, Long War Journal, Der Spiegel, Reuters, Geo TV, CNN, BBC News, The Guardian, Al Jazeera English, Dawn, Long War Journal, Dawn, The News, Associated Press, Associated Press, Viewpoint Online, Asia Times, Bureau (civilian investigation), Bureau (civilian data), Associated Press, Bureau
Al Qaeda strategist Mohammad Usman was reported 'dead' (he was 'killed' again in Ob213 in June 2011) along with up to five others in an attack later reported in the Asia Times as being targeted at 'high-profile Arabs, Uzbeks and Europeans'. Four people were also injured in the attack on a house and car.
References: Pakistan Tribune, Asia Times, Defense News, Pakistan Tribune, Geo TV, CNN, CNN, BBC News, Dawn, Xinhua, Long War Journal, SATP, Reuters, Bureau
The home of Salim or Qasim Khan Dawar was reportedly destroyed, with up to five alleged militants killed. A secret Pakistani government published by the Bureau in January 2014 said three locals were killed in this strike.
Location: Hurmuz, Mir Ali, North Waziristan.
References: Pakistan Tribune, Geo TV, Dawn, Long War Journal, SATP, CNN, Reuters, Bureau
Al Qaeda's Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, a Libyan, was reported killed along with Khalid Mohammad Abbas al Harabi and Qari Hussain Mehsud, the deputy chief of the Pakistan Taliban (TTP). However, al Rahman was subsequently reported killed in August 2011 (Ob238).
The TTP described as Qari Hussain as a martyr. However he had been reportedly killed in October 2010 (Ob137) and emerged alive, and his name remained on the US State Department's terrorist lists in 2011. He was reported dead again in a strike on October 15 2010 and in December 2013 he was eulogised by the TTP.
A car and house were destroyed in the strike, which may have been in retaliation for the December 2009 suicide attack on a CIA base in Afghanistan.
Location: Khaisoori, North Waziristan.
References: The Hindu, The News, ndtv.com, Long War Journal, Long War Journal, Asia Times, Express Tribune, The News, Dawn, Al Jazeera English, CNN, Long War Journal, Long War Journal, Deccan Herald, Hindustan Times, Geo TV, Daily Times, Long War Journal, SATP, US State Department, Bureau, Long War Journal
Up to six alleged militants were reportedly killed in an attack on a housing compound.
Location: Char Khel, North Waziristan.
References: Express Tribune, CNN, Long War Journal, Dawn, Gulf Today, SATP
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Official and tribal sources said 'people' killed, including 'suspected militants' (The News).
Up to eight people were reported killed in an attack on a house with four 'Turkmen fighters' possibly among the dead. The News raised the possibility of civilian casualties, noting that 'eight people, including suspected militants, were killed.' It added:
Three of the injured died before they could be provided medical aid, taking the death toll to eight. The sources said that two rooms of the mud-house were flattened in the attack and a car parked inside the house was also damaged.
References: Dawn, AFP, The News, Gulf Today, SATP, Xinhua, ZeeNews (PTI), Bureau (civilian investigation), Bureau (civilian data), Bureau
Datta Khel residents with drone parts, October 13 2010 (Photo: Noor Behram)
Ob145 – October 10 2010
A double strike in the vicinity of a former Afghan refugee camp killed up to nine people and injured three. Though some sources referred to the casualties as militants, others including Associated Press and the BBC said their identities were unknown. According to Dawn, 'Four people were killed when two missiles hit the house owned by tribesman Awal Khan. The identity of the dead and the injured could not be ascertained. Sources said Awal Khan had links with militant groups. Hours later another drone fired two missiles on the car near Kito bridge, killing three people.'
A secret diplomatic cable from the US Ambassador to Islamabad, dated two years earlier, had expressed worries that US Special Forces had been requesting information on Afghan refugee camps. As of early 2013 these remain in some parts of Pakistan, though are no longer in the FATA tribal areas:
We are concerned about providing information gained from humanitarian organizations to military personnel, especially for reasons that remain unclear."
Locations: Spinwan, North Waziristan.
References: The Hindu, Dawn, CNN, BBC News, AFP, Xinhua, Long War Journal, SATP, AP, Long War Journal, Bureau (civilian investigation), Bureau (civilian data), Bureau
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Field researchers named civilians killed (Bureau), eyewitness account (Noor Behram).
Reports state that a triple-linked strike over the course of an hour killed up to 14 alleged militants, including 'three foreigners' or Turkmeni members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. As many as six rescuers, all reported initially as 'militants', were killed as they tried to retrieve casualties from a bombed house and car. AP, for example, reported local officials as saying:
The final attack targeted militants collecting bodies from the house destroyed in the first strike, killing two of them
Local photographer Noor Behram, who visited the scene, instead said that 'six locals' had died. The Bureau's own researchers in Waziristan reported that three rescuers were civilians, named as Bashir, Wajid and Laiq. A report by Associated Press appeared to contradict this, stating that only 'eleven militants, including four foreigners, died.'
The day before the attack, Pakistan's prime minister publicly criticized the CIA's drone campaign, telling reporters: 'We have successfully isolated the militants and local tribesmen, because we want that local tribesmen should support us, but when there is a drone attack that unites them again. And this is the reason we say that they are counter-productive.'
References: The Daily Times, Express Tribune (AFP), Geo TV, Associated Press, BBC News, CNN, SATP, Dawn, Long War Journal, Jang (Urdu), AP, Bureau (rescuers investigation), Bureau (rescuers data), Bureau
Up to six alleged militants were reportedly killed in an attack on a house. The Pakistan Taliban's Qari Hussain was reported 'killed' again – see Ob138 and Ob143. The US State Department added his name to a list of designated terrorists in January 2011. However the Pakistan Taliban released a eulogy for Qari Hussain in December 2013. It did not specify when he was killed, but said he died in a US drone strike.
Location: Aziz Khel, North Waziristan.
References: CNN, Dawn, Xinhua, Xinhua, Al Jazeera English, SATP, Long War Journal, Bureau, Long War Journal
A vehicle was destroyed and up to five were killed, described variously as people or alleged militants. Three locals were killed according to a secret Pakistani record of drone strikes, published by the Bureau in January 2014.
References: CNN, Dawn, Al Jazeera English, Long War Journal, Bureau
Naeem Ullah, killed by shrapnel, October 18 2010 (Photo: Noor Behram)
♦ 1 civilian reported killed, a child
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Eyewitness account with photograph of strike victim (Noor Behram), field researchers (Bureau)
A double strike on a house and car killed more than six people, with six people injured. 'Foreigners' were said to be among six dead alleged militants. Shrapnel also killed Naeem Ullah, a 10-year-old boy in the next-door house. Local photographer Noor Behram, who visited the site shortly after the attack, reported:
Naeem Ullah was only 10 years old and after being injured he was taken to hospital but he expired after an hour of reaching there. The picture (above) was taken just before his death.
The Bureau's own field researchers report that his death caused 'outrage' in his village. Pakistani lawyer Mirza Shahzad Akbar, who helped uncover the case, told the Bureau:
Finding cases such as Naeem's, which was not initially picked up by media, is always troubling. It suggests there may be many more civilian deaths than reports indicate.
References: Express Tribune, CNN, CNN, SATP, Xinhua, Dawn, Long War Journal, Geo TV, Bureau (civilian investigation), Bureau (civilian data), Bureau
Up to five suspected Taliban, including possibly some 'foreigners', were killed in an attack on the house of alleged militant Nasimulah Khan. Villagers are reported to have led the rescue operation. An official Pakistani record of CIA drone strikes said two locals were killed in this attack. The Bureau published this internal government document.
Location: Spinwan, Mir Ali, North Waziristan.
References: Geo TV, CNN, Pajhwok, Dawn, AFP, SATP, Bangladesh Today, Long War Journal, Xinhua, Bureau
♦ 'Scores' injured
A car was reportedly destroyed and four alleged militants were killed, apparently including two 'Arabs' and two 'Westerners' possibly linked to the Haqqani Network. 'Scores' were reported injured. In January 2014 the Bureau published an internal Pakistani record of drone strikes. The official document said this strike
References: AFP, The News, Geo TV, CNN, Pajhwok, Associated Press, SATP, Bangladesh Today, AFP, Long War Journal, Xinhua, Bureau
Datta Khel crowd, October 28 2010 (Photo: Noor Behram)
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Eyewitness testimony (Noor Behram).
The house of Alif Deen (who died) was attacked as a body from Ob152 was being brought into a compound. Up to eight alleged militants linked to the Haqqani Network were killed including three 'Arabs'. However photographer Noor Behram, who visited the scene (see photo above) ndicated possible civilian casualties, reporting: 'There were four dead in the attack who were locals.' Villagers also helped to recover the dead.
References: Express Tribune, Geo TV, AFP, Pajhwok, BBC, Xinhua, Long War Journal, aljazeerah.info, Peninsula Qatar, Bureau
Ob153 – November 1 2010
The compound of Ahmad Ali was attacked, reportedly killing at least five alleged militants, all reportedly locals, and injuring two other people. Five drones were reportedly involved, 'creating panic among the residents'.
Location: Haider Khel, North Waziristan.
References: Geo TV, CNN, Dawn, Long War Journal, SATP, aljazeerah.info, Bureau
Five 'Uzbek fighters' were reportedly killed in the first of three linked strikes in North Waziristan. A car 'loaded with arms and ammunition' was destroyed, damaging a nearby house. 'It detonated in the attack and the vehicle caught fire – nobody can go near the vehicle', a security official told Al Jazeera. While media reports said foreigners were killed, a secret official Pakistani document, published by the Bureau in January 2014, said four 'locals' were killed.
References: Al Jazeera English, The News, BBC News, CNN, Geo TV, Long War Journal, Xinhua, aljazeerah.info, Bureau
A car was reportedly attacked killing up to five alleged militants. A nearby house was also hit, though it's unknown whether there were casualties from this.
Location: Khaso Khel, North Waziristan.
References: Al Jazeera English, The News, BBC News, CNN, Long War Journal, Xinhua, aljazeerah.info, Bureau
In the third linked strike of the day, another vehicle was reportedly attacked and up to five alleged militants were killed.
Location: Pai Khel, Datta Khel, North Waziristan.
References: Al Jazeera English, The News, BBC News, CNN, Long War Journal, aljazeerah.info, Bureau
Up to nine people were killed and at least two other people injured in a joint strike by up to eight drones on a house and car. Although a number of sources described those killed as alleged militants, The News and Geo TV stated that they were 'local tribesmen', indicating possible civilian casualties. A secret Pakistani record of drone strikes, published by the Bureau in January 2014, said eight 'locals' died in the strike. However the document did not identify the men as civilians.
The Taliban later killed three alleged 'drone spies' in the area. The Chinese news agency Xinhua reported:
The three dead bodies were found at a bazaar near the strike area with a letter placed on them from Taliban saying they are spies providing information for U.S. drone attacks.
Location: Ghulam Khan, North Waziristan.
References: Al Jazeera English, BBC News, The News, Express Tribune, Geo TV, Long War Journal Dawn, Xinhua, The Guardian, Bureau
At least four people were killed, suspected militants according to some, and 'scores' were injured when a car was destroyed in a fireball. Although a number of sources described those killed as alleged militants, both The News and Geo TV stated that they were 'local tribesmen', indicating possible civilian casualties.
References: Al Jazeera English, BBC, The News, Express Tribune, Geo TV, Long War Journal, Bureau (civilian investigation), Bureau (civilian data)
Ob159 – November 11 2010
Alleged fighters returning from Afghanistan and 'staying with the local Taliban' were the reported targets of a strike that killed up to eight people. An internal, official Pakistani record of drone strikes said five 'locals' were killed in this strike. The document, published by the Bureau in January 2014, said: 'US Drone carried out missile strike and fired about 06/07 missiles in Miraki Hills Gulak Khel Gurbaz area.' The report added:'Reportedly, Hafiz Gul Bahadar Group fired some missiles across the border and in retaliation from other side of the border the said attack was carried out (sic).'
References: CNN, Geo TV, Long War Journal, AFP, Xinhua, Bureau
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Correspondent reporting from the scene (Geo TV).
A car was reportedly destroyed in an attack on alleged militants and four people killed. Geo TV said that all of the dead may have been civilians:
According to Geo News correspondent, the vehicle is still on fire and no one is daring to approach the burning vehicle, as the US drones are still in the air and may fire more missiles. The Geo News correspondent reported from the attack site that deceased of the US airstrike seemed to be ordinary citizens, not terrorists.
Location: Ahmad Khel, North Waziristan.
References: CNN, Geo TV, Long War Journal, Dawn (AFP), Bureau (civilian investigation), Bureau (civilian data), Bureau
♦ 0-9 civilians, including possibly children, reported killed
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Field researchers name five civilians killed (Bureau), reporter said women and children among dead (al Jazeera).
Reports state that a mass grave was needed after twenty people were killed in a drone strike. The attack was on a 'speeding vehicle', and a house was also destroyed. The News reported that:
The targeted vehicle was destroyed completely while a number of rooms in the compound were also razed to ground… over a dozen inmates of the house were killed by the Hellfire missiles while none of the many people onboard the vehicle survived.'
Although most reports described the dead as alleged militants, Al Jazeera reported that 'women and children' were also killed when missiles destroyed a house alongside an apparently targeted vehicle. The Bureau's own researchers in Waziristan identified by name five civilians reported by villagers as having been killed: 'Sabir, Riaz, Shaukatullah, Haris and Taj belonging to the Utmanzai Wazir tribe'. In an investigation published in February 2012 based on interviews with local people, Associated Press contested whether civilians had died, reporting only that '20 militants died.'
References:Al Jazeera English, Geo TV, Dawn, BBC, Reuters, CNN, ePakistanNews, APP, The News, Xinhua, SATP, Dawn, AP , Bureau (civilian investigation), Bureau (civilian data)
A moving vehicle was reported to have 'exploded into a fireball', killing up to four alleged militants. An internal Pakistani record of CIA drone strikes said two people were killed in this strike on a vehicle. The document, published by the Bureau in January 2014 recorded both as locals.
References: Dawn, Express Tribune, Geo TV, CNN, ZeeNews, Xinhua, Long War Journal, SATP, Bureau
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Three tribesmen killed, according to reporter (Dawn).
A house reputedly belonging to Abdur Rehman was attacked along with a car. Up to nine people were reported killed including three local tribesmen, possibly civilians; 'Mustafa', a militant leader linked to a group led by Sadiq Noor; and two 'foreigners'. According to Dawn:
Three local tribesmen sheltering the militants were identified on Sunday as among the dead. However, officials said on Monday that there were no civilians killed, asserting that seven of the dead were under Sadiq Noor`s command and two were foreign fighters.
Location: Khaddi, North Waziristan.
References: Geo TV, Express Tribune, Xinhua, Dawn, Dawn, SATP, CNN, Long War Journal, Bureau
A car and a motorbike were reportedly destroyed and up to six alleged militants were killed. Locals took part in the retrieval operation.
Reference:France24, Dawn, CNN, APP, The Nation, Express Tribune, SATP, Bureau
Sanaullah's driving licence (Photo: Noor Behram)
♦ 1-4 civilians reported killed, including 1 child
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Law suit (Reprieve), field researchers (Bureau), brother (al Jazeera, Vocativ), lawyer (WRP)
Student Sanaullah Jan was killed in a car with up to three college friends, although initial reports described them as 'Taliban fighters'. Only later did it emerge that Sanaullah, 16 or 17, was an engineering student at the Government Degree College in Mir Ali. Family and friends insist that he had no interest in the Taliban. The strike hit at around 4pm as he was making his way home from college, according to his brother Khairullah His car was so damaged that little remained of Sanaullah but his burnt student ID card and licence. The Bureau's researchers in Waziristan reported that:
The information is sketchy and sometimes contradictory about the three others killed in the drone strike. Their names couldn't be ascertained, perhaps because they weren't from Pir Killay village – the location of the attack.
In 2012 Sanaullah's was one of a number of case studies submitted to the UN Human Rights Council for consideration. The report noted:
Sanaullah was going to Miranshah from Mir Ali in a car with two friends. En route a drone aircraft fired at their vehicle, completely destroying it and killing everyone inside. The bodies were burnt so badly so as to be unrecognizable; Khairullah Jan identified his brother's body only through his identity card.
Location: Pir Keley, North Waziristan
References: Islamabad Tonight, WRP, CNN, Geo TV, Sify News, AFP, Xinhua, Dawn, The News, SATP, Long War Journal, Reprieve , Bureau (civilian investigation), Bureau (civilian data), al Jazeera, Vocativ, Bureau
Khairullah Jan tells al Jazeera English about his brother and the drone strike that killed him (Ob166).
A drone reportedly missed a vehicle with its first missile, allowing four occupants to escape on foot. Alternatively, some reports claimed that all of those in the vehicle were killed.
Location: Spinwan, Hassan Khel, North Waziristan.
References:CNN, AFP, Express Tribune, Geo TV, Antiwar, Xinhua, stopnato.net, Long War Journal, Bureau
Ob167 – December 6 2010
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Unnamed sources (CNN).
A missile fired from a CIA drone hit a vehicle as it passed through a village. Two alleged militants died, though at least one escaped into a nearby shop. As CNN and others reported at the time, the drone then fired into the shop, killing the suspect and two civilians – possibly shopkeepers. Three people were injured by the blasts. Some later reports claimed that all those inside the shop were militants.
A US official has subsequently denied the Bureau's summary of this strike, stating to the New York Times:
There were two strikes that day, and neither matches the claim. One targeted a car, killing two militants who had visited several Al Qaeda compounds that day; the other killed a handful of militants, including a top A.Q. terrorist.
See also Ob168.
References: CNN, Express Tribune, Geo TV, Dawn, BBC, Xinhua, aljazeerah.info, SATP, Long War Journal, New York Times, Bureau (civilian investigation), Bureau (civilian data), Bureau
A possibly unreported strike was discussed by a US official in August 2011 who noted that the attack, one of two that day, 'killed a handful of militants, including a top AQ [al Qaeda] terrorist.' News agency Xinhua may have noted the attack: 'In the second attack, an unknown number of U.S. drones fired four missiles at a house at a different place in the same area, killing two people, whose identities are yet to be confirmed.'
Location: Ali Khel, North Waziristan
References: New York Times, Xinhua, Bureau
Ob169 – December 10 2010
Among four alleged militants killed were two British Muslim converts, identified by their noms de geurre as Abu Bakr and Mansoor Ahmed – aged 45 and 25. Other names attributed to the men include Stephen/ Stephan (Smith), and Dearsmith or Darry Smith. The British Foreign Office at the time said: 'We are aware of media reports of the death of two British nationals in Pakistan. Our high commission in Pakistan is seeking further information.' Reports later claimed the two dead Britons were part of a new militant group known as the Islamic Army of Great Britain, reportedly formed in May 2010 by'200 militants, many of them dual-citizens of the UK, France and Germany.' The others killed were described as 'tribal militants.' Journalist Shafiq Ahmad later reported:
Both [Britons] came to North Waziristan in November 2009 and reportedly joined al-Qaeda.One of the local tribal militants killed with them was identified as Salim Wazir, son of Bakht Gul. Identity of the second tribal militant killed in the drone strike could not be ascertained. The two British nationals were secretly laid to rest at a graveyard reserved for foreign fighters in Datta Khel town near the border with Afghanistan. The body of the local militant was handed over to his family and was buried in his ancestral graveyard.
The attack coincided with a demonstration in Islamabad by civilian victims of drone strikes.
Location: Khadar Khel, North Waziristan.
References: The Guardian, The Guardian, The Telegraph, BBC News, Reuters, CNN, Express tribune, Xinhua, SATP, The News, Long War Journal, Long War Journal, Viewpoint, Bureau
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Unnamed local residents described dead as 'village residents' (Xinhua), unnamed local security officials described them as 'people' (Geo TV).
Reports are conflicting as to whether four alleged Afghan militants, or villagers, were killed when a car was destroyed. Xinhua, for example, reported that 'The killed were not immediately identified but locals said they were village residents.'
Location: Tabbi, North Waziristan.
References: Express Tribune, Geo TV, Press TV, Xinhua, CNN, Defence Viewpoints, SATP, Long War Journal, Bureau (civilian investigation), Bureau (civilian data), Bureau
A named Taliban commander Ibne Amin and his six bodyguards reportedly died in a drone strike. This was at lease the second time the Bureau had recorded Ibne's death (Ob93). He was described as a 'mastermind in making of explosives and butchering people' and was reportedly 'involved in myriad incidents of slaughtering people'.
Location: Speen Drang, Khyber Agency.
References: AFP, Reuters, Daily Times.com, SATP, Xinhua, Express Tribune (AFP), Pakistan Today, The News, Geo TV, Long War Journal, Bureau
The first of three strikes in Khyber Agency on the same day came in the wake of an attack there the previous evening. Two cars were destroyed, reportedly killing seven alleged Pakistan Taliban (TTP) militants and injuring up to eleven people.
In January 2014 the Bureau published a secret Pakistani document that listed this drone strike killed 15 locals. It said: 'At about 1000 hours, two pickups at Sandhana Sepah area Tirah were attacked with two rockets from unknown destination (Drone attack).'
References: The News, Dawn, Arab News, Express Tribune, Punjab News Online, BBC, Al Jazeera English, Reuters, CNN, Geo TV, Geo TV, The Nation, Long War Journal, Long War Journal, Associated Press, Bureau
An attack on a compound reportedly killed up to fifteen alleged Swat Taliban and injured two other people.
References: Express Tribune, BBC, CNN, Arab News, The Nation, Punjab News Online, Long War Journal, Associated Press
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Field researchers identified two civilians killed, one by name (Bureau), anonymous local sources (The News).
The third strike of the day killed up to 30 alleged Lashkar-e-Islam members when houses were destroyed. Ali Marjan, Yar Azam and Mehmud, all local LeI commanders were reported dead. But also among the dead were two civilians. The Bureau's researchers in Waziristan noted:
Two non-militant civilians were also killed, but only one was a prisoner. He belonged to the Kukikhel sub-tribe of the Afridi, but he remained unidentified as his body was mutilated. The other civilian killed by the missiles was Raza Khan, a 50-year old man from the Sepah sub-tribe of the Afridi tribe who had come to the Lashkar-i-Islam headquarters in Sandana to request Commander Mangal Bagh to release one of his relatives being held by him. Another prisoner was wounded in the attack and several other prisoners escaped from the private prison, set up in a cave, due to the confusion in the aftermath of the drone strike. Almost all of them were subsequently re-arrested and their fate remains unknown.
References: Dawn, Arab News, Express Tribune, BBC News, CNN, Reuters, The News, Punjab News Online, The Nation, The News, Bureau (civilian investigation), Bureau (civilian data), Associated Press
A double strike on two trucks reportedly killed up to 22 alleged TTP militants, including five local commanders named as Zahid Mandev; Qari Barkatullah; Qari Monib; Fazal Amin and Qari Ihsanullah. A February 2012 report published by Associated Press, based on extensive interviews with locals, confirmed that '18 militants including four foreigners died.' However a secret Pakistani document published by the Bureau in January 2014 said 20 people were killed in this attack – all locals.
Location: Shera Tala, Mir Ali, North Waziristan
References: Express Tribune, The News, BBC, The Nation, The News, Xinhua, Xinhua, Xinhua, Los Angeles Times, Uruknet, SATP, CNC, The Nation, The Nation, Dawn, Geo TV, Al Jazeera English, Guardian, CNS, CNN, Al Jazeera English, Long War Journal, AP, Bureau
Four people were reportedly killed in an attack on a vehicle. According to Dawn: 'The identities of the dead were not immediately known, but officials believed that most were Pakistani, rather than Afghan or Arab fighters.' No further details are presently known.
References: Dawn, Long War Journal
In the first of three linked strikes, drones attacked two houses containing alleged militants. Up to seven people were killed, and at least two people injured. Al Qaeda's Nasir al-Wahishi was initially reported killed. But it subsequently emerged that far from dying in Pakistan, al Wahishi had been in his native Yemen. He had formed the al Qaeda franchise in Yemen, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, in January 2009 where he remained. He had been extradited to Yemen in 2003 and escaped from a Yemeni jail in 2006. He emerged in May 2011, claiming that the 'ember of jihad is brighter' following the death of Osama bin Laden at the hands of US commandos. Eyewitness Ihsanullah Khan later told the Bureau:
I had gone to Ghulam Khan with my friend. It was about 10am that a drone attacked one home and after two or three minutes the drone fired another missile on another home. Both of the houses were very close to us therefore we rushed there. Both of the houses were completely damaged. In the first home three Taliban were killed while in the second two Taliban were killed. The dead bodies in the first home were ok while the dead bodies in the second home were burnt. After some time other Taliban came there and took the dead bodies into their custody.'
References: Washington Post, CNN, Al Jazeera English, Geo TV, ThaIndian, Express Tribune, Xinhua, IBN Live, activistpost, Long War Journal, ABC News, Dawn, Voice of America, Al Jazeera English, Long War Journal, Bureau
The civilian casualty figures included in this summary are based on the following reports: Field researchers identified two by name (Bureau), unnamed police source said one or two civilians killed (Thaindian/BNO), unnamed official sources said four killed (Dawn).
After waiting up to three hours, rescuers reportedly attempted to retrieve the dead and injured from Ob173. Drones are claimed to have attacked again, killing up to twelve people. Dawn reported:
Local officials said that two missiles were fired at two suspected compounds at around 10am on Tuesday in Sherkhel area, an abandoned Afghan refugee camp in Ghulam Khan tehsil. Four people were killed. The area people said that Kochis (Afghan nomads) lived in the compounds. Local people were searching the place for survivors when the drone fired two missiles, killing four more people and injuring three others.
The Bureau's researchers in Waziristan could only identify two civilians killed in the strike, named as Jamil and Mustafaa, though they were not reported as rescuers.
References: CNN, Al Jazeera English, Thaindian News (BNO), Dawn, Xinhua, ABC News, Long War Journal, Bureau (rescuers investigation), Bureau (rescuers data), Bureau (civilian investigation), Bureau (civilian data)
In the final of three linked strikes, a truck reportedly carrying the wounded of Ob 176 and Ob 177 was attacked. Two other vehicles were also struck carrying alleged militants. Up to ten people were reported killed. A secret Pakistani document, published by the Bureau in January 2014, said 10 locals were killed in the strike. The internal strike record said: 'US Drone carried out missile strike at suspected vehicles of militants…Unconfirmed reports indicate that 06 missiles were fired intermittently at two cars and a pickup.'
Location: Nawab, Ghulam Khan, North Waziristan.
References:Al Jazeera English, CNN, ThaIndian, ABC News, Dawn, Long War Journal, Jang (Urdu), Bureau
Pakistani villagers at funeral of drone victim, December 29 2010 (Photo: AP)
In the final attack of the heaviest year of drone strikes yet recorded, up to eight alleged militants were killed in a vehicle after allegedly returning from a raid in Afghanistan: a local Pakistani intelligence officer reported:
The militants were retreating to their hideout in North Waziristan after an attack on Taarkhobee check post in Afghanistan. They were traced and chased by a US drone.
References: Express Tribune, CNN, Al Jazeera English, Geo TV, BBC News, The Guardian, Xinhua, Long War Journal, Monsters and Critics, Pakistan Today, SATP, Bureau
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