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U.S. Says Airstrikes Aimed at Terrorists Outside Combat Zones Killed as Many as 116 Civilians in 7 Years
Intelligence office says between 2,372 and 2,581 combatants killed in same period
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Friday offered the government’s first official assessment about civilian deaths caused by U.S. drone strikes. PHOTO: JOSH SMITH/REUTERS
By DAMIAN PALETTA and ADAM ENTOUS
Updated July 1, 2016 4:09 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON—The Obama administration on Friday released for the first time internal estimates of the number of civilians killed in strikes against suspected terrorists, but it didn’t disclose many details because officials said those were still secret.
Under pressure to increase transparency about U.S. drone operations around the world, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said U.S. strikes on suspected terrorists outside combat zones by both manned and unmanned aircraft killed between 64 and 116 civilians between 2009 and 2015. The strikes were conducted primarily in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and Libya, people familiar with the review said.
The figures don’t include Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, which are regions with ongoing hostilities.
Officials said the tally included missiles fired by aircraft operated by the U.S. government. The administration declined to provide details about which strikes were launched by the Pentagon and which were launched by the Central Intelligence Agency.
Senior administration officials wouldn’t identify all of the countries during a conference call with reporters, nor provide a breakdown of how many civilians were killed in each of the countries or when they were killed.
The CIA conducts drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen, but senior administration officials on Friday’s call wouldn’t acknowledge the agency’s role.
According to the internal estimates released by the intelligence director’s office, the U.S. conducted 473 strikes outside Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria from 2009 to the end of 2015, which killed between 2,372 and 2,581 so-called “combatants.”
Human-rights groups that have kept track of the drone program say the casualty figures released on Friday underestimated the number of civilians killed.
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, a British news organization, has estimated the U.S. has carried out 373 drone strikes in Pakistan during the Obama administration, killing as many as 634 civilians. It estimates that as many as 101 civilians were killed by drone strikes in Yemen beginning in 2011.
“The numbers reported by the White House today simply don’t add up, and we’re disappointed by that,” said Federico Borello, executive director of the Center for Civilians in Conflict, a group that has pushed for more protections for civilians in war zones.
Senior administration officials were careful not to challenge the estimates of outside groups who have said many more people were killed in these drone strikes. Instead, they said they based the government’s tally on a variety of research-gathering methods.
Officials said that in some cases the U.S. government has access to intelligence outside groups might not, but it acknowledged those outside groups could also have access to exclusive on-the-ground details in some of these areas that could provide a clearer picture of casualties.
Officials said additional disclosures would be made in the coming years about the number of civilians killed in U.S. strikes.
The White House said President Barack Obama signed an executive order that requires the government to release revised data about combatant and noncombatant deaths each year on May 1.
The executive order also describes “best practices” that military and intelligence agencies must use when conducting airstrikes, including conducting training, working with groups like the International Committee of the Red Cross to determine the difference between combatants and civilians, accepting responsibility for civilian casualties, and in some cases making payments to affected families.
The drone program has been a centerpiece of Mr. Obama’s counterterrorism strategy since he came to office in 2009.
During the early years of his presidency, those strikes, conducted by the CIA, mainly targeted militants with al Qaeda in the tribal areas of Pakistan.
The strikes sparked a public backlash in Pakistan against the U.S. U.S. diplomats complained that they couldn’t rebut the criticism because the CIA’s program was covert and couldn’t be discussed publicly.
U.S. officials have long argued privately to their Pakistani counterparts that the CIA’s drones kill far fewer civilians than alternative systems, such as manned F-16s or artillery. Drones generally use smaller munitions to limit collateral damage, and can loiter for hours, if not days, over targets before launching strikes.
In Yemen, the Obama administration authorized competing drone programs by the CIA and the Pentagon targeting al Qaeda’s affiliate there. But the White House recently decided to give the Pentagon the leading role there.
The CIA’s campaign in Pakistan has largely been scaled back as the U.S. has turned its focus to Islamic State, which has seized large swaths of Iraq, Syria and parts of Libya.
Corrections & Amplifications:
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence released estimates of the number of civilians killed in airstrikes—from both manned and unmanned aircraft—against suspected terrorists outside combat zones between 2009 and 2015. An earlier version of the article incorrectly said the figures were limited to drone strikes. An earlier headline said the period was six years, when it was seven years. (July 1)
http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-say...s-many-as-116-civilians-in-6-years-1467395832
Some of those flying the drones and firing confessed on the monitor you cant differentiate much on the monitor they are given and that a few of them said they def killed more than the figures
Suddenly human lives are like mosquitoes...Not bothered how many you squish! Despicable!
Intelligence office says between 2,372 and 2,581 combatants killed in same period
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Friday offered the government’s first official assessment about civilian deaths caused by U.S. drone strikes. PHOTO: JOSH SMITH/REUTERS
By DAMIAN PALETTA and ADAM ENTOUS
Updated July 1, 2016 4:09 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON—The Obama administration on Friday released for the first time internal estimates of the number of civilians killed in strikes against suspected terrorists, but it didn’t disclose many details because officials said those were still secret.
Under pressure to increase transparency about U.S. drone operations around the world, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said U.S. strikes on suspected terrorists outside combat zones by both manned and unmanned aircraft killed between 64 and 116 civilians between 2009 and 2015. The strikes were conducted primarily in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and Libya, people familiar with the review said.
The figures don’t include Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, which are regions with ongoing hostilities.
Officials said the tally included missiles fired by aircraft operated by the U.S. government. The administration declined to provide details about which strikes were launched by the Pentagon and which were launched by the Central Intelligence Agency.
Senior administration officials wouldn’t identify all of the countries during a conference call with reporters, nor provide a breakdown of how many civilians were killed in each of the countries or when they were killed.
The CIA conducts drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen, but senior administration officials on Friday’s call wouldn’t acknowledge the agency’s role.
According to the internal estimates released by the intelligence director’s office, the U.S. conducted 473 strikes outside Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria from 2009 to the end of 2015, which killed between 2,372 and 2,581 so-called “combatants.”
Human-rights groups that have kept track of the drone program say the casualty figures released on Friday underestimated the number of civilians killed.
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, a British news organization, has estimated the U.S. has carried out 373 drone strikes in Pakistan during the Obama administration, killing as many as 634 civilians. It estimates that as many as 101 civilians were killed by drone strikes in Yemen beginning in 2011.
“The numbers reported by the White House today simply don’t add up, and we’re disappointed by that,” said Federico Borello, executive director of the Center for Civilians in Conflict, a group that has pushed for more protections for civilians in war zones.
Senior administration officials were careful not to challenge the estimates of outside groups who have said many more people were killed in these drone strikes. Instead, they said they based the government’s tally on a variety of research-gathering methods.
Officials said that in some cases the U.S. government has access to intelligence outside groups might not, but it acknowledged those outside groups could also have access to exclusive on-the-ground details in some of these areas that could provide a clearer picture of casualties.
Officials said additional disclosures would be made in the coming years about the number of civilians killed in U.S. strikes.
The White House said President Barack Obama signed an executive order that requires the government to release revised data about combatant and noncombatant deaths each year on May 1.
The executive order also describes “best practices” that military and intelligence agencies must use when conducting airstrikes, including conducting training, working with groups like the International Committee of the Red Cross to determine the difference between combatants and civilians, accepting responsibility for civilian casualties, and in some cases making payments to affected families.
The drone program has been a centerpiece of Mr. Obama’s counterterrorism strategy since he came to office in 2009.
During the early years of his presidency, those strikes, conducted by the CIA, mainly targeted militants with al Qaeda in the tribal areas of Pakistan.
The strikes sparked a public backlash in Pakistan against the U.S. U.S. diplomats complained that they couldn’t rebut the criticism because the CIA’s program was covert and couldn’t be discussed publicly.
U.S. officials have long argued privately to their Pakistani counterparts that the CIA’s drones kill far fewer civilians than alternative systems, such as manned F-16s or artillery. Drones generally use smaller munitions to limit collateral damage, and can loiter for hours, if not days, over targets before launching strikes.
In Yemen, the Obama administration authorized competing drone programs by the CIA and the Pentagon targeting al Qaeda’s affiliate there. But the White House recently decided to give the Pentagon the leading role there.
The CIA’s campaign in Pakistan has largely been scaled back as the U.S. has turned its focus to Islamic State, which has seized large swaths of Iraq, Syria and parts of Libya.
Corrections & Amplifications:
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence released estimates of the number of civilians killed in airstrikes—from both manned and unmanned aircraft—against suspected terrorists outside combat zones between 2009 and 2015. An earlier version of the article incorrectly said the figures were limited to drone strikes. An earlier headline said the period was six years, when it was seven years. (July 1)
http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-say...s-many-as-116-civilians-in-6-years-1467395832
Some of those flying the drones and firing confessed on the monitor you cant differentiate much on the monitor they are given and that a few of them said they def killed more than the figures
Suddenly human lives are like mosquitoes...Not bothered how many you squish! Despicable!
