CIA drone attacks in Pakistan kill hundreds of civilians and boost armed groups

» Mark Moloney

‘The US practice of striking one area multiple times and evidence that it has killed rescuers makes both community members and humanitarian workers afraid or unwilling to assist injured victims’

A STUDY by Stanford and New York universities has found that CIA drone attacks aimed at militants in north-west Pakistan terrorise the civilian population, have caused hundreds of civilian deaths and lead to increased recruitment for armed Islamic groupings.

The Living Under Drones report, which included dozens of interviews with victims and witnesses of drone strikes, found that many of those killed in the attacks are rescue workers trying to treat the dying and injured.

Many of those interviewed say they are too afraid to attend weddings and funerals for fear they will be bombed, as has happened.

The use of unmanned drones has increased sharply under the Obama administration and the US now also conducts drone attacks in Yemen and Somalia.

The report states:

“US drones hover 24 hours a day over communities in north-west Pakistan, striking homes, vehicles, and public spaces without warning.

“Their presence terrorises men, women and children, giving rise to anxiety and psychological trauma among civilian communities. Those living under drones have to face the constant worry that a deadly strike may be fired at any moment and the knowledge that they are powerless to protect themselves.

“These fears have affected behaviour. The US practice of striking one area multiple times and evidence that it has killed rescuers makes both community members and humanitarian workers afraid or unwilling to assist injured victims.”

Earlier this year, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navy Pillay, called for an investigation into US drone strikes in Pakistan, saying the attacks violate human rights. Pillay said:

“Drone attacks do raise serious questions about compliance with international law . . . I see the indiscriminate killings and injuries of civilians in any circumstances as human rights violations. Because these attacks are indiscriminate it is very, very difficult to track the numbers of people who have been killed.”

According to the report, since June 2004, more than 2,500 people have been killed in drone strikes in Pakistan. Of these, an estimated 881 were civilians with 176 being children; 1,300 more people were injured in the attacks.