A study at Stanford and New York University titled ‘Living Under Drones’ claimed that only two percent of drone strike casualties in Pakistan are top militants, and that the large number of related civilian deaths turn Pakistanis against the US.
The study revealed that number of casualties among Pakistani civilians was far higher than the US acknowledged.
The researchers spent over nine months in Pakistan questioning survivors and witnesses of drone attacks, and the relatives of those killed by drones. Researchers interviewed over 130 people in total. The Pakistani human rights group Foundation for Fundamental Rights helped the study’s authors locate witnesses.
The researchers claimed that US drone policy in the region has not helped Washington achieve its goal of curbing terrorism in the region. The civilian deaths that mark practically every drone strike on terror suspects in Pakistan’s tribal regions has, rather, achieved the opposite goal: Locals hate the US because of the unceasing fear that death may come from above at any moment.
"US targeted killings and drone strike practices undermine respect for the rule of law and international legal protections and may set dangerous precedents," the report said.
The report claimed that Pakistanis are afraid to attend public events like weddings or funerals, which US drone operators frequently mistake for gatherings of Taliban or Al-Qaeda militants. In March 17, 2011, a drone strike killed an estimated 42 people who were later revealed to be attending a meeting of local elders, called ‘jirga.’ The elders had gathered to settle a dispute over ownership of a chromite mine. Only four out of 42 victims reportedly had terrorist ties.
According to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, from June 2004 till mid-September 2012, between 2,562 and 3,325 people were killed in drone strikes Pakistan, mostly in the North Waziristan region. Some 474 to 881 of those killed were civilians, including 176 children. Another 1,300 were wounded.
Continue Reading: Pakistani civilian deaths in US drone war ‘in vain’ – report — RT
MORE ON THE STORY
19.09, 22:247 comments
CIA sued over drone killings
The American Civil Liberties Union is taking the CIA to court for the agency’s refusal to comply with a FOIA request to hand over documents about the Obama administration’s “targeted killing” drone program.
30.08, 20:5713 comments
Apple bans drone-awareness iPhone app
For the frequency with which the United States launches drone strikes abroad, often killing civilians as a result, write-ups in the mainstream news aren’t always easy to spot. A smartphone developer wants to change that, but Apple isn’t interested.
04.09, 20:594 comments
Drone strike kills 13 civilians
Local officials in Yemen say that a United States-led drone strike over the weekend there killed 13 civilians.
21.08, 00:4733 comments
US adopts Al-Qaeda's tactic of secondary attacks for drone strikes
The US has been carrying out follow-up attacks after its drone strikes in Pakistan, specifically targeting people coming to the aid of the wounded. The tactic has been widely condemned, including by the UN – which considers it a war crime.
30.05, 20:0735 comments
Obama's kill list - All males near drone strike sites are terrorists
Depending on whom you ask, the Obama administration has either executed hundreds of civilians abroad with poorly planned drone strikes or none at all. A new report, however, finally offers insight into those conflicting conclusions.
11.09, 07:2924 comments
US army wants tiny suicide drones fight terrorism
The US military has outlined specifications for a miniature suicide drone that would be capable of annihilating isolated targets without the “collateral damage,” typical of its larger relatives.
07.09, 01:2418 comments
Pentagon plans drone sales to 66 countries
The use of drones might be raising questions within the United States, but overseas the demand is mounting. The US Defense Departments says they are preparing to make unmanned aerial vehicles commercially available to 66 outside nations.
04.09, 01:571 comment
'US drone strikes help Saudi Arabia keep Yemen divided'
Civilian-killing drone strikes are turning local populations against the US, Ryan Dawson, an American journalist, told RT. He added that the US' campaign in Yemen is part of a bigger scheme to help Saudi Arabia keep its tiny neighbor divided.
03.08, 04:519 comments
Domestic drone justice: US court green-lights police UAV use
A North Dakota court has approved the use of drones to help arrest citizens on US soil. UAVs have primarily been used to conduct strikes against purported militants in countries like Pakistan, but their use at home has been on the rise as of late.
CIA sending drones to Yemen
With counter-terrorism strikes hindered by political unrest in Yemen, US officials now say that the CIA will operate drone aircrafts over Yemen, bringing an increased attempt at thwarting al-Qaeda—as well as a cluster of controversy.
No comments:
Post a Comment