A new Amnesty International report alleges that U.S. drone strikes could be responsible for up to 900 civilian deaths in Pakistan — and the organization is calling on the U.S. to address what it refers to as a series of human rights abuses that could amount to war crimes.
The report, “Will I be Next?”, profiles the lives of civilians living in Pakistan’s North Waziristan region, a regular target for U.S. drones strikes in the last decade. Along with statistics regarding the number of deaths associated with drone attacks, the report tells the stories of those who live in daily fear that the next U.S. drone strike could end their life.
The figures used in the report have been gathered by NGOs and sources in Pakistan — and while they’re not concrete figures, Amnesty International indicates reports of civilian deaths is an issue that needs to be brought to the forefront of the drone discussion.
According to the report, the U.S. launched up to 374 drone strikes in Pakistan from 2004 to 2013.
“Amnesty International is not in a position to endorse these figures, but according to these sources, between 400 and 900 civilians have been killed in these attacks and at least 600 people seriously injured,” the report states.
President Barack Obama has admitted civilian casualties have resulted from the drone war, yet the U.S. has failed to release information regarding those civilian deaths. The administration has never issued a death toll count, and has justified the drone strikes as a successful tool in the war on terror.
“The US government’s utter lack of transparency about its drone program posed a significant research challenge,” the report states. “The USA refuses to make public even basic information about the program, and does not release legal or factual information about specific strikes.”
Yet for innocent civilians who watch their family members and friends fall victim to drone strikes, it’s not seen as a successful tool in the war on terror.
Amnesty International’s report highlights two specific cases of U.S. drone strikes that killed innocent civilians. On July 6, 2012, 18 laborers working in the town of Zowi Sidgi were gathering in a tent after a day of work. While eating a meal, their tent was hit by drones strikes, killing all 18 men.
“Witnesses described a macabre scene of body parts and blood, panic and terror, as U.S. drones continued to hover overhead,” the report states.
Another instance involves the death of a Pakistani woman, Mamana Bibi, who was targeted by U.S. drone strikes as she gathered vegetables in northwestern Pakistan. Her relatives witnessed her death.
“I wasn’t scared of drones before, but now when they fly overhead I wonder, will I be next?” Nabella, the woman’s 8-year-old granddaughter, told Amnesty International.
These cases and the hundreds of other untold instances represent serious human rights abuses, Amnesty International argues. In its report, the group claims that while they’re unable to verify information regarding civilian casualties, the allegations amount to war crimes.