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Washington's silence creates doubt on deaths
NEW YORK: A senior United States official said last month the number of civilians killed in drone strikes in Pakistan under the US President, Barack Obama, was in the ''single digits''. But last year, other US officials said drones in Pakistan killed about 30 civilians in just a year-long stretch under Mr Obama.
Both claims cannot be true.
A centrepiece of Mr Obama's national security strategy, drone strikes in Pakistan are credited by the administration with crippling al-Qaeda but criticised by human rights groups and others for being conducted in secret and killing civilians. The underlying facts are often in dispute and claims about how many people died and who they were vary widely.
Given the uncertainty, ProPublica decided to find out if the Obama administration's own claims have been consistent.
It collected claims by the administration about deaths from drone strikes in Pakistan and compared each not to local reports but other US administration claims. The numbers sometimes do not add up. Setting aside the discrepancy between official and outside estimates of civilian deaths, our analysis shows the administration's figures quoted over the years raise questions of credibility.
Both claims cannot be true.
A centrepiece of Mr Obama's national security strategy, drone strikes in Pakistan are credited by the administration with crippling al-Qaeda but criticised by human rights groups and others for being conducted in secret and killing civilians. The underlying facts are often in dispute and claims about how many people died and who they were vary widely.
Given the uncertainty, ProPublica decided to find out if the Obama administration's own claims have been consistent.
It collected claims by the administration about deaths from drone strikes in Pakistan and compared each not to local reports but other US administration claims. The numbers sometimes do not add up. Setting aside the discrepancy between official and outside estimates of civilian deaths, our analysis shows the administration's figures quoted over the years raise questions of credibility.
Read more: http://www.nambuccaguardian.com.au/news/world/world/general/washingtons-silence-creates-doubt-on-deaths/2600645.aspx
