HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION CLAIMS 874 UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE, INCLUDING 142 CHILDREN, HAVE BEEN KILLED BY DRONE STRIKES IN PAKISTAN.
U.S. drone strikes in Yemen and Pakistan have killed approximately 1,147 unidentified people in pursuit of 41 “named” suspects, or 28 unknown people for every intended target, according to a report released by international human rights organization Reprieve.
The report, an extract of which was provided to media, examines the total deaths by drone strikes in Yemen and Pakistan over a 12-year period, from November 2002 to November 2014. It claims that 41 people on U.S. President Barack Obama’s “kill list” have been targeted by drones but have emerged unscathed a few days or weeks later—raising questions about the administration’s contention that the drone program is “precise” and causes minimum collateral damage. Many of these, it says, have been “killed” multiple times.
The “kill list” is a secretive document that is personally approved by President Obama. It is not available for public scrutiny. The U.S. government has also repeatedly refused to publish any information relating to the drone program and how it establishes the veracity of intelligence used to determine its targets.
According to Reprieve, in Pakistan alone, drone strikes have killed 874 people, including 142 children, as part of efforts to target 24 wanted terrorists, only six of whom died in the course of the attacks. Similarly, in Yemen, 17 “named” men—at least four of whom are still alive—were targeted multiple times, killing 273 people.
Drones Kill 28 ‘Unknowns’ For Every Intended Target [continued]