Zafar Colony (N. Waziristan) Drone Attack – Oct 2013
Date: 31/10/2013
Location: North Waziristan Agency, FATA, Pakistan
Perpetrators: United States
Victims: 5 Killed, 3 Injured
What Happened?
31 October 2013: A U.S. drone strike destroyed a house and car in the Zafar Colony or Miranshah Bazar of Miranshah Tehsil. This attack reportedly occurred early in the morning. Media reports indicate that two loud explosions were heard, one for each target.
Some sources suggested that the car was ablaze and local rescuers struggled to pull any possible survivors out of the car. A local official is reported to have alleged that suspected militants were killed, while other sources indicate that it was impossible to identify the victims and that no credible information was available about the dead. Associated Press quoted a Pakistani security official indicating that this was a failed attack and that there were no fatalities.
A day earlier, Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence released a report summarising the death toll of U.S. drone strikes since 2008, claiming that 67 civilians had been killed in 5 years. This figure was lower than even the most conservative estimates, given that over 60 civilians (including children) were killed in a 3-month period in 2008 alone, raising significant questions at the Ministry of Defence’s methodology for death toll documentation.
Sources: Express Tribune, The News, Associated Press, BBC
OMM-PK357