Nearly 90 Percent Of People Killed In Recent Drone Strikes Were Not The Target

[tecelote]

Source: Huffingtonpost



U.S. drone strikes have killed scores of civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.

he controversial U.S. drone strike program in the Middle East aims to pinpoint and kill terrorist leaders, but new documents indicate that a staggering number of these "targeted killings" affect far more people than just their targets.

According to a new report from The Intercept, nearly 90 percent of people killed in recent drone strikes in Afghanistan "were not the intended targets" of the attacks.

Documents detailing a special operations campaign in northeastern Afghanistan, Operation Haymaker, show that between January 2012 and February 2013, U.S. special operations airstrikes killed more than 200 people. Of those, only 35 were the intended targets. During one five-month period of the operation, according to the documents, nearly 90 percent of the people killed in airstrikes were not the intended targets. In Yemen and Somalia, where the U.S. has far more limited intelligence capabilities to confirm the people killed are the intended targets, the equivalent ratios may well be much worse.

The report, compiled from classified documents released by a source in the intelligence community, corroborates the many news accounts of civilian deaths caused by drone strikes. U.S. drone strikes have killed scores of civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia since 2009.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/civilian-deaths-drone-strikes_561fafe2e4b028dd7ea6c4ff

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THE GOAL: ENDLESS WAR

We're all accountable. It's our tax dollars doing the murdering.

Makes me sick.

[7962]

1. Is it because they hit the wrong place or the target is with others?

We've seen for years that the bad guys will stay in private homes, travel with civilians, etc. Are the strikes killing 1 bad guy and 15 others or are they missing the targeted person completely?

[Warren Stupidity]

2. when you blow up a wedding you are deliberately targetting civilians.

Last edited Fri Oct 16, 2015, 09:09 AM - Edit history (1)

The excuse "but there was a bad guy there" is irrelevant. It is a war crime.

[tecelote]

3. +1

[7962]

6. Thats ONE example. I'd like to know the full stats & how they were reached.

The enemy will ALWAYS say civilians were killed.
If our intelligence is so bad, which I believe, then how are we able to determine this 90% rate is correct? We've known from the start that Islamists will use civilians as shields with no problem. They look at it as a PR opportunity when some are killed.

[w0nderer]

7. wait just a second now

just cause someone targeted a primarily civilian function ...are you saying primarily civilians got damaged?

waow
well played warren had to push it a little further for the sarcasm disabled

and yes it is and no it won't be punished
because war crimes only happen against the US, never by the US
there are re-education camps(sponsored by fox) for people believing otherwise

[restorefreedom]

8. either and both

in some cases, innocents are in tow. in some cases, they are using tech tracking to id the "target"....so they may be bombing a phone but don't necessarily know whether a combatant or an innocent is attached at that phone at that moment.

this video explains it disturbingly well

https://m.

[7962]

12. Thank you for an actual useful answer

Instead of the "USA war criminal" shit I usually see

[restorefreedom]

13. you're welcome

i think all of us should be informed and aware as to what our govt is doing and the results of that action.

edit..but fwiw, i do think this gets the u.s deep into war crime territory, which is why its even more important to have the facts and the stats.

[uawchild]

20. spot on!

Thanks for the link to the video

[restorefreedom]

22. most welcome! nt

[mr goodbeer]

4. Wow. I'm Shocked.

[fasttense]

5. So we give the executive branch the right to murder anyone they want

Then they use it to murder mostly innocent people. What a surprise. Just think who a RepubliCON would use it on.

[AZ Progressive]

9. I'm sorry to say that this must be seen in the Middle East as American terrorism

[tecelote]

10. Exactly.

[Martin Eden]

18. Terror from the skies

It's no less terror than a car bomber who blows up a market place.
Human beings are violently killed & maimed.

Excruciating pain.
Psychological trama.
Horrible grief.

The US government knows for a fact these "targeted" killings are causing significant "collateral" damage, yet they (we) continue to do it.

Why?

Does it really make us "safe"??

If my family was thusly murdered, I don't know what I would do -- but I can understand those who dedicate their lives to striking back in any way they can.

I strongly suspect we are recruiting more terrorists than we kill.

This is a program for perpetual war.

[AZ Progressive]

11. So as taxpaying Americans, we are all responsible for funding murder...

Any American who pays taxes, who drives a gasoline car, who eats meat, who wears clothes that were made in another country, who uses a smartphone, etc... can't claim any moral authority and can't claim to be a good person because they are contributing to suffering in this world.

[tecelote]

15. Only if you don't give a damn.

Good people are not perfect people. We need to be accountable to work towards a better solution.

If we stop creating terrorists we will reduce their number more effectively than drones and the war on terrorism.

This post is my effort to do what I can here.

[marmar]

14. Defenders will still find ways to twist themselves in knots to justify this.

[FlatBaroque]

16. It is OK

we are an exceptional nation.

[Jesus Malverde]

17. Meanwhile we are nursing whole generation of "moderate" jihadists

In Syria. This all makes Orwell 1984 doublespeak look funny.

[salib]

19. Note: Neither of the Dem primary front runners is planning to end the drone program

We still have a long way to go.

[Blue_Tires]

21. Fine, we'll go back to conventional bombing then...

[Comrade Grumpy]

23. Or maybe disengage from the perpetual war?

[Blue_Tires]

24. I'm fine with that...

Let Russia run with this ball for awhile...