Pakistani victims of U.S. drone strikes speak out in a new report

[maryf]

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/10/14/pakistan_civilian_deaths/index.html

"I wonder, why was I victimized?"
Pakistani victims of U.S. drone strikes speak out in a new report on increasing civilian casualties in the region
By Justin Elliott

*


<snip>
Reliable numbers of how many civilians have been killed by U.S. drones are impossible to come by. Since there is little to no U.S. presence on the ground to examine the aftermath of drone attacks, the government itself probably doesn't know who is getting killed. The report also notes that the U.S. government does not offer any kind of compensation to victims and does not appear to have a clear definition of who it counts as a civilian. For example, do family members of alleged militants count?

Also problematic is the lack of independent reporting on the drone strikes (often because the strikes occur in areas that are too dangerous for travel). Wire stories on drone strikes are commonly sourced to unnamed intelligence officials.
Estimates of people killed by the 124 U.S. drone strikes over the past two years range from 788 to 1,344, according to the report, And though U.S. officials apparently say (it's not clear in what context) that fewer than 20 civilians have been killed, Rogers concludes that this is certainly an underestimate. In just nine strikes that he investigated, he found more than 30 civilians had been killed.

<snip>
Gul Nawaz, from North Waziristan, was watering his fields when he heard the explosion of drone missiles: “I rushed to my house when I heard the blast. When I arrived I saw my house and my brother’s house completely destroyed and all at home were dead.” Eleven members of Gul Nawaz’s family were killed, including his wife, two sons and two daughters as well as his elder brother, his wife, and his four children. “Yes, the drone strikes hurt the Taliban. Most of the strikes are effective against the Taliban but sometimes innocent people also become the victim of such attacks. Take my case … ” said Gul Nawaz. “I blame the government of Pakistan and the USA … they are responsible for destroying my family. We were living a happy life and I didn’t have any links with the Taliban. My family members were innocent … I wonder, why was I victimized?"

Unsurprisingly, all of this is creating anger among the victims at the U.S. and their own government. Said Rogers:
"I heard over and over from victims that they expected help, but most never even got an apology for what happened to them. The U.S. and Pakistan should take note that denying or overlooking their losses is provoking anger and undermining the Pakistani government's legitimacy."


More at link..

[maryf]

1. more testimony from the article...

“I lost my father, three brothers and my cousin in this attack,” said Adnan, his 18 year-old son. Adnan’s uncle claimed, “We did nothing, have no connection to militants at all. Our family supported the government and in fact … was a member of a local peace committee.”

The family provided CIVIC with detailed documentation of the deaths of the five family members, including a report from the Assistant Political Agent of South Waziristan and a local jirga requesting the government to pay compensation. The documentation confirms the family was innocent.

[TBF]

2. Wherever the US Military goes,

collateral damage seems to follow.

[maryf]

10. collateral damage

Madeline Albright will live on in infamy for coining that heartless phrase...so dehumanizing...

[maryf]

11. dupe

glitch in the matrix, I guess...

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. The ingrates don't understand that we're killing them for their own good. K&R

[maryf]

9. Yep, protect them from the terrorists...

:grr:

[leftstreet]

4. K&R

That was depressing

[maryf]

8. It is depressing...

but so much more for the Pakistanis, spread the word...educate, agitate....

[G_j]

5. K&R

[Arkansas Granny]

6. Slate magazine recently had an article about the drones and civilian casualties.

http://www.slate.com/id/2265655/

[maryf]

7. drone porn

It is obscene isn't it?

"the "counterterrorist" drones may well create more terrorists than they kill." and that is part of the plan, the more terrorists the longer the war on terror can continue.

Thanks for the article!

[maryf]

12. evening kick...

[maryf]

13. morning kick

[bighart]

14. Look up the numbers on drone strikes,

they are up exponentially in the last 2 years.

[maryf]

18. the ptsd of the guys

pushing the buttons is too, but my sympathy lies much more with these hapless people...wtf

[Panaconda]

15. Google

"Dirty War in Afghanistan"

[maryf]

17. Thanks!!

so much there, of course the first piece is from an "unreliable" source :sarcasm:...Lew Rockwell digs deep,... will have to plow through a lot...this shame belongs to this admin to a very large degree..should get people up in arms...or at least their alarms ringing (wake up!)...

[blindpig]

16. k&r

[Panaconda]

19. Kick

[maryf]

20. Thanks, here's another

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=53194 I'd post it, but no time to monitor...