New Details of Attack on Yemeni Wedding Prompt More Demands Obama Explain Drone Policy

[Purveyor]

A new report on the U.S. drone missile strike that killed 12 members of a Yemeni wedding convoy has renewed calls for the Obama administration to make public its own investigations into the incident — and explain how such strikes are consistent with international laws of war.

The detailed, 28-page report from Human Rights Watch describes conflicting accounts of the December 12 attack, but nevertheless concludes that some, if not all, of the victims may have been civilians.

The laws of war prohibit attacks on civilians that are not discriminate or attacks that cause civilian loss disproportionate to the expected military advantage.

The report also calls on the U.S. government to explain how the attack could possibly have complied with the new policies President Obama announced in May 2013, and repeated less than three months before the wedding strike, that he had “limited the use of drones so they target only those who pose a continuing, imminent threat to the United States where capture is not feasible, and there is a near certainty of no civilian casualties.”

Obama administration officials have insisted since the strike that only members of al Qaeda were killed. Defense Department spokesman Bill Speaks reiterated to The Intercept on Wednesday “that the Yemeni Government has stated that the targets of this operation were dangerous senior al Qaeda militants,” but he declined to provide any details or evidence to support that conclusion. National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden also declined.

more...

https://firstlook.org/theintercept/article/2014/02/20/report-yemen-wedding-drone-strike-may-violated-laws-war/

[ForgoTheConsequence]

1. Usually I'm against murder.

But my guy is in office. Gotta support the home team first!

[Octafish]

2. Where America's real enemies do serious harm.

Unmentioned on television, but should be, are the Bush-bin Laden family connections.



The short version: Back in the day when George W was defendin' Texas from the Air Force of North Vietnam, he met a man by the name of James R Bath. They both were drummed off the flight line for failing to take physical exams -- coincidently, no doubt, right about the same time the government starting testing pilots for illegal drugs 'n' such. Note how the Bush White House redacted a proper noun here and there. Here're two versions of the document:



Now this document shows that the House of bin Laden selected James R Bath to be their official U.S. business agent.



Isn't it something? Why no one in the press corpse ask Bush about this is understandable considering the subject must be off-limits to those without the necessary Top Secret clearance. In our day, they've got the media. So, send a drone to Yemen and keep things fresh, not Kardashian-Jenner!, and away from anyone suspecting Capitalism's Invisible Army.