Two civilians injured in quadcopter attack in Upper South Waziristan

Two civilians were injured on Thursday in what Dawn described as an alleged quadcopter attack on a populated area in Barwand, in the Servekai tehsil of Upper South Waziristan, according to local sources and police.

The wounded men were identified as Saud Mehsud and Mir Azam Khan Mehsud. Both were taken to the district headquarters hospital in Wana, South Waziristan's main town, where they were being given medical treatment.

Dr Jan Mohammad Shinwari, the hospital's medical superintendent, said the injured were receiving appropriate medical care. The report did not give further detail on their condition.

Local sources said an unidentified quadcopter targeted the populated area. Dawn described the strike as "alleged" and said the aircraft had not been identified; the report did not say who was operating it, and no group was named as having claimed responsibility.

Police also commented on the incident, according to Dawn, though their statement was not set out in full in the report available to this newspaper.

Upper South Waziristan lies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and forms part of the Waziristan districts along the border with Afghanistan. Barwand is a rural locality in Servekai tehsil, and the injured had to be moved to Wana for treatment.

The report did not say whether an investigation had been opened, whether any operation was under way in response, or whether the two men were inside a vehicle, a home or in the open when the aircraft struck. It also did not say how long the quadcopter remained over the populated area.

Small unmanned aircraft have been reported in parts of the province before, but Dawn's account did not link Thursday's incident to any specific militant group or to an earlier strike in the area.

This newspaper could not independently verify the details, which rest on local sources, police and hospital officials quoted by Dawn. Readers should treat the account of the strike, including the description of the aircraft, as reported rather than confirmed.