McClatchyDC’s review of top-secret intelligence reports reveals the CIA has used drones to kill hundreds of people “who only were suspected, associated with, or who probably belonged to militant groups.”
Read the full investigation here.
And read everything we know so far about the drone war doctrine of “signature strikes.”
Very apropos, as we’d just mentioned the dearth of available information on the U.S. drone strike program a couple hours ago — do yourself a favor and read this full story on what is perhaps America’s most controversial modern warfare tactic. Figures and insights on drones are hard to come by, so it’s truly crucial not to miss the information that does trickle out.
In the virtual cockpit: What it takes to fly a drone
(Photo: Michael Shoemaker / U.S. Air Force)
Drone pilots escape the physical demands and dangers of a traditional cockpit. There’s no g-force pinning them to their seats, no uncomfortable pressure suit to wear and no panic because the aircraft they are sitting in is spiraling out of control.
It’s worthwhile to peel back the curtain and at least keep conversation going about one of America’s most controversial tactics. Thanks to the national security/wartime state, we as citizens still have perilously little insight into the targets of these drones, or especially the civilian casualties resulting. What information we do have is usually from this very perspective — through the pilot’s eyes.
They think the whole world is a battlefield, including America, and that the laws of war should apply…that’s not my understanding of the way America works. I don’t think the laws of war apply to America, I think the Bill of Rights do and I think it’s a disservice to our soldiers that our senators up there arguing that the Bill of Rights aren’t important.Sen. Rand Paul • Responding to criticism leveled against him by fellow Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain on Thursday, less than a day after his impressive attempt to block the confirmation of John Brennan as head of the CIA. Both Graham and McCain attacked Paul on the floor of the Senate Thursday, saying the Kentucky Republican’s comments during his 13-hour filibuster were both untrue and disappointing. source
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism just announced a new project, “Naming the Dead,” which “will seek to identify as many as possible of those killed in US covert drone strikes in Pakistan, whether civilian or militant.”
‘In the face of official secrecy, having the full facts about who is killed is essential for an informed debate about the effectiveness and ethics of the drone campaign,’ said Christopher Hird, managing editor of the Bureau.
They’re going to start with Pakistan and then move on to Yemen and Somalia. This is an important project.
The administration’s use of, and tact on drone strikes is undoubtedly one of the most controversial parts President Obama’s record. But from a journalistic standpoint, so little basic information is known about the people who’ve been killed. This seems like a good start.
Why it didn’t go down: ”The White House stalled the proposal because of lingering questions about which rebels could be trusted with the arms, whether the transfers would make a difference in the campaign to remove Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and whether the weapons would add to the suffering,” according to the WSJ’s sources. The proposal’s existence was made public yesterday for the first time at John Brennan’s Senate confirmation hearing. source [paywall]
Why would they go crazy over waterboarding, but ignore the drone strikes … because they’re protecting the president.Bill O’Reilly • Explaining why he thinks NBC is ignoring the drone strike memo leak—you know, the one exclusively obtained by NBC News’ Michael Isikoff—while responsible networks like Fox News discuss it at every opportunity, It’s unclear how O’Reilly and his staff were unaware that NBC broke the story, or that Isikoff made appearances on numerous NBC and MSNBC broadcasts this week, but the O’Reilly Factor host is expected to discuss his mistake on Thursday night’s broadcast. Anybody think he’ll apologize? source
The Obama administration is nearing completion of a detailed counterterrorism manual that is designed to establish clear rules for targeted-killing operations but leaves open a major exemption for the CIA’s campaign of drone strikes in Pakistan, U.S. officials said.
The carve-out would allow the CIA to continue pounding al-Qaeda and Taliban targets for a year or more before the agency is forced to comply with more stringent rules spelled out in a classified document that officials have described as a counterterrorism “playbook.”
Maybe it’s just us, but creating a rulebook which fails to address the incredibly low accountability of a program that many believe should be held to the highest standards (if continued at all) seems kind of pointless. Thoughts?
We want to give a message to America that the more you carry out drone attacks, the more people will hate you.Pakistani politician Imran Khan • Speaking during a protest against drone strikes near the border of South Waziristan. Khan, who was joined by some Western activists from Code Pink, along with thousands of Pakistanis, attempted to cross the border into the tribal region only to be turned back by the Pakistani military.
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