Drones ‘terrorising’ Pakistani civilians, say experts
Photo dated Jan 24, 2009 shows tribesmen holding pieces of a missile at the site of a drone attack in Mir Ali on the outskirts of Miranshah, North Waziristan Agency near the Pak-Afghan border.—Reuters Photo
ISLAMABAD: The US campaign of drone strikes in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal belt is terrorising civilians 24 hours a day and breeding bitter anti-American sentiment, researchers said Tuesday.
The attacks are largely based in northwest Pakistan, where militants linked to Taliban and al Qaeda have strongholds have killed thousands of people since they began in June 2004, says a report by experts from Stanford Law School and the New York University School of Law.
Aside from casualties, the “Living Under Drones” report said, the missile strikes are affecting daily life in the tribal areas, making people unwilling to gather in groups – even for weddings and funerals – for fear of being targeted.
Drone strikes allow the US to carry out “targeted killings” of people it believes are militants from afar, without endangering American lives, but the campaign has become a festering sore in US-Pakistan relations, says the report by Stanford-NYU experts.
After attacks, rescuers are unwilling to help the wounded for fear of being hit by follow-up missiles, said the report commissioned by UK-based charity Reprieve, which campaigns against drone strikes.
The report urged Washington to rethink its drone strategy, arguing it was counterproductive and undermined international law.
Based on media reports and interviews with residents of North Waziristan, one of the areas most heavily targeted by drones, the research said the US conception of the campaign as a “surgically precise and effective tool that makes the US safer” was false.
Drone strikes allow the United States to carry out “targeted killings” of people it believes are militants from afar, without endangering American lives, but the campaign has become a festering sore in US-Pakistan relations.
Islamabad says the strikes are counterproductive and a violation of its sovereignty, but US officials are believed to regard them as an effective way of disabling terror groups by killing key members.
The Stanford-NYU report said “the publicly available evidence that they have made the US safer overall is ambiguous at best” and the majority of militants killed by drones seemed to be low-ranking.
Reliable casualty figures are difficult to acquire in the tribal areas, which are off-limits to journalists and aid workers because of security worries and government restrictions.
Citing a CNN report, the Stanford-NYU paper said only around two per cent of those killed in drone strikes were “high-level” targets.
Total deaths between June 2004 and September 2012 were between 2,562 and 3,325, with 474 to 881 of them civilians, “Living Under Drones” said, quoting figures gathered from media reports by the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
There was always ample evidence that the drone terror was killing civilians. They are not transparent, not effective, and not accurate, and very counter-productive. There is no way to distinguish between a Pashtun carrying a weapon (which is his right) and a supposed-Taliban. However, the political party in KP (read ANPites) have always supported the invaders and killers of Pashtuns. First the Soviets and now the Americans. Then they wonder why their political “activists” are killed in effective and efficient revenge. Suicidal revenge will not stop until and unless the GoP puts an end to its connivance against the Pashtuns.
Read the report a bit more carefully, please. The Executive Summary claims the “dominant narrative” in the U.S. is false. The meat of the report is much more nuanced – that while the “numbers” debate is open the populace in affected areas is under psychological strain, a condition the U.S. makes no claims about.
Drones are very effective. USA should continue the drone attacks and eliminate the terrorists.
And what evidence you have to claim that the Drones are “Very Effective”?
What evidence you have that drones are not effective?
It is completely unbelievable that US makes these drone attacks without taking in to confidence Pakistan Army for years. If at all this so called powerful army and nuclear power is genuinely against the drone attacks and really concern about innocent poor civilians, why don’t they assertively stop it. Fact is every body wants to get rid of these “irritant elements” without being labelled and with calculated risk and keeping good will amongst so called patriotic people.
I am a Pakistani and I am also offended by drone strikes. I am equally offended by Pakistani when they do not try to clean their own house and allow terrorists and extremists to flourish among us. When our army is refusing to get rid of these unsavoury elements in Pakistan (and I am aware of limits of our military), our politicians are reluctant the face the evil among us, our religious leaders provide religious cover to these heinous activities, our media uses anti-western rhetoric to promote their shows, civil society at large is not willing to face our own demons and our legals society keep finding loopholes to let these terrorists and extremist roam free then US and other westren countries wont ignore these realities. No matter what is the cost, they will think let these ignorant fools burn their own country if they want to protest. Lets clean our house then no one else will have to do this for us. When Pakistanis take the easy way out why we are blaming US to do the same.
It is very very sad drones are killing innocent people, and I have no doubt they are. However, drones are also killing the terrorists in an effective manner. You have to develop a strategy for dealing with people who are out to kill you, and who will not change their views. Pakistan and the US can try to figure out an alternative. I do not think this will be easy, and so, unfortunately, drone strikes are probably going to continue in the future.
Drones are the only effective weapon against the Taliban and their supporters. I dont buy the claim of drones killing innocents and this leading to more Taliban, the entire FATA was taken over by Taliban forces long before there were any drone operations.
wow. if it was your family dying ..then you would care. you people are pathetic
read history and some books please..and stop watching tv
thie question is where is the govt and the armed forced..why cant they defend the country…shame on govt. and gen. Kiyani..
I think it is criminal to use drone to kill innocent peoples including women & children. America should realize that drone attacks killing innocent women & children is causing an ir-repairable loss to the little respect that is left. Pakistan would have long before silenced any other country perpetrating such heinous crime. America understands this quite well so it is good to understand and defuse the un-controllable heat that is generating as a result of drone attacks.
Beggars cannot be chooser
use of drones to target so called millitants?- makes no sense.even if you kill one civilian it would be violating lot of international laws.High time for Pakistani government to wake up and put an end to these attacks.
Ok with Drones. Thats the only way to stop these dump taliban
Shame for Independent country
I am highly against of talibans or any other extremist force. But you need to realize one thing, when an innocent is killed by the drone attacks, it just creates resentment in the hearts of his or her relatives. Which makes them support taliban over other forces!
This has been one of the main reasons, why talibans are still growing in numbers, why more and more youngsters of the troubled areas are joining the talibans.
These will only multiply these Talibans. Highly counter-productive!