Since 2004, the United States government has attacked hundreds of targets in Northwest Pakistan using unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) controlled by the Central Intelligence Agencys Special Activities Division.[4] Most of these attacks are on targets in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas along the Afghan border in Northwest Pakistan. These strikes began during the George W. Bush administration, and have increased substantially under President Barack Obama.[5] Some in the media have referred to the attacks as a drone war.[6][7] Until very recently, the US government had officially denied the extent of its policy; in May 2013 it acknowledged for the first time that four US citizens, including Anwar Al-Awlaki, had been killed in the strikes.[8] Surveys have shown that the strikes are deeply unpopular in Pakistan, where they have contributed to a negative perception of the United States.[9] There is a debate regarding the number of civilian and militant casualties. An estimated 286 to 890 civilians have been killed, including 168 to 197 children.[2][3] Amnesty International found that a number of victims were unarmed and that some strikes could amount to war crimes.[10] Pakistans Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, has repeatedly demanded an end to the strikes, stating: The use of drones is not only a continual violation of our territorial integrity but also detrimental to our resolve and efforts at eliminating terrorism from our country.[11] The Peshawar High Court has ruled that the attacks are illegal, inhumane, violate the UN charter on human rights and constitute a war crime.[12] The Obama administration disagrees, contending that the attacks do not violate international law and that the method of attack is precise and effective Drone attacks in Pakistan Part of the War in North-West Pakistan, and the War in Afghanistan Date 18 June 2004 – ongoing (9 years, 9 months and 1 week) Location Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan Status Ongoing Belligerents United States CIA Afghanistan Taliban Afghanistan Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan Afghanistan TNSM Afghanistan Haqqani network al-Qaeda Lashkar-e-Islam Foreign Mujahideen Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan 9 (CIA and other US intelligence agents) Total killed: estimated as between 2,080 and 3,646 (As of 3 February 2014)[2][3]
Posted on: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 14:26:27 +0000
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