This from Riaz Khan at AP:

At least four foreign terrorists died in the purported U.S. airstrike aimed at al-Qaida’s No. 2 leader in a Pakistani border village, the provincial government said Tuesday.

A statement, issued by the administration of Pakistan’s semiautonomous tribal regions bordering Afghanistan, also said that between 10 and 12 foreign extremists had been invited to the dinner at the village hit in Friday’s attack.

It was the first official confirmation by Pakistani authorities that foreign militants were killed in the attack on the village of Damadola. Women and children also died, triggering outrage in this Islamic nation.

[…]

The statement, citing the chief official in the Bajur region where the Damadola is located, said its findings were from a report compiled by a “joint investigation team” but gave no specifics on who was included in the team.

“Four or five foreign terrorists have been killed in this missile attack whose dead bodies have been taken away by their companions to hide the real reason of the attack,” the statement said.

“It is regrettable that 18 local people lost their lives in the attack, but this fact also cannot be denied, that 10-12 foreign extremists had been invited on a dinner,” it said.

This totally discredits the argument that we were targeting “innocent civilians.” As with any wartime scenario, association with the enemy makes one a priori a viable target.

It is also important to note that this confirmation came from the “provincial government,” which has more authority in the region than Islamabad. This goes to the argument that we attacked a “friendly sovereign nation.” Just as with the 2002 Hellfire strike in Yemen, it is rather dubious to apply the European nation-state sovereignty model to much of the Islamic world, as they are unable to police within their own borders.