ahlam1399
07-02-2016, 05:52 AM
Drone attacks
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama’s government said on Friday it inadvertently killed up to 116 civilians in strikes in countries where America is **t at war, a major disclosure likely to inflame debate about targeted killings and use of drones.
Obama’s goal for the release of the numbers, which are higher than any previously ack**wledged by his government but vastly below private estimates, is to create greater transparency about what the US military and CIA are doing to fight militants plotting against the United States.
**n-governmental organisations estimate that hundreds of civilians were killed in such strikes, many of them by drones, in countries including Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. The US government pegged NGO estimates of **n-combatant deaths during its period of study, from Jan 20, 2009, to Dec 31, 2015, from more than 200 to more than 900.
Obama’s administration ack**wledged “inherent limitations” in its ability to collect data in dangerous target areas but strongly defended its estimates. It also cautioned that NGO figures could be flawed, citing “deliberate spread of misinformation by some actors”, including terrorist organisations,in local media reports on which some **n-governmental estimates rely.
“Drone advocates, including those within the US military, argue the strikes are an essential part of reducing the ability of militant groups to plot attacks against the United States.
They say the government goes to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties. Critics of the targeted killing programme question whether the strikes create more militants than they destroy. They cite the spread of jihadist organisations and militant attacks throughout the world as evidence that targeted killings may be exacerbating the problem.
“We’re still faced with the basic question: Is the number of bad guys who are taken out of commission by drone strikes greater or less than the number of people who are inspired to turn to violent acts,” said Paul Pillar, a former senior CIA specialist on the
Middle East and **w a professor of security studies at Georgetown University.
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WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama’s government said on Friday it inadvertently killed up to 116 civilians in strikes in countries where America is **t at war, a major disclosure likely to inflame debate about targeted killings and use of drones.
Obama’s goal for the release of the numbers, which are higher than any previously ack**wledged by his government but vastly below private estimates, is to create greater transparency about what the US military and CIA are doing to fight militants plotting against the United States.
**n-governmental organisations estimate that hundreds of civilians were killed in such strikes, many of them by drones, in countries including Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. The US government pegged NGO estimates of **n-combatant deaths during its period of study, from Jan 20, 2009, to Dec 31, 2015, from more than 200 to more than 900.
Obama’s administration ack**wledged “inherent limitations” in its ability to collect data in dangerous target areas but strongly defended its estimates. It also cautioned that NGO figures could be flawed, citing “deliberate spread of misinformation by some actors”, including terrorist organisations,in local media reports on which some **n-governmental estimates rely.
“Drone advocates, including those within the US military, argue the strikes are an essential part of reducing the ability of militant groups to plot attacks against the United States.
They say the government goes to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties. Critics of the targeted killing programme question whether the strikes create more militants than they destroy. They cite the spread of jihadist organisations and militant attacks throughout the world as evidence that targeted killings may be exacerbating the problem.
“We’re still faced with the basic question: Is the number of bad guys who are taken out of commission by drone strikes greater or less than the number of people who are inspired to turn to violent acts,” said Paul Pillar, a former senior CIA specialist on the
Middle East and **w a professor of security studies at Georgetown University.
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