Chris Woods

‘OK, Fine. Shoot Him.’ Four Words That Heralded A Decade Of Secret US Drone Killings

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) usually gets all the credit for the first US drone targeted killing beyond the conventional battlefield. But it was the military which gave the final go-ahead to kill on November 3 2002. Lt General Michael DeLong was at Centcom headquarters in Tampa, Florida when news came in that the CIA had […]

Chris Woods
By Chris Woods
Customs Border Patrol Air and Marine division blackhawk helicopter unmanned aerial vehicle Fort Huachuca Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007 in Sierra Vista, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) usually gets all the credit for the first US drone targeted killing beyond the conventional battlefield. But it was the military which gave the final go-ahead to kill on November 3 2002. Lt General Michael DeLong was at Centcom headquarters in Tampa, Florida when news came in that the CIA had found its

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How Washington Post Strips Casualties From Covert Drone Data

Alongside the Washington Post’s latest blockbuster reports on the Obama administration’s drone kill list is a new graphic, depicting US covert strikes since 2002. Based on reports by monitoring organisations, the graphic lists hundreds of US drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, in what the paper says will be a regularly updated project. Also detailed are ‘the […]

Chris Woods
By Chris Woods
In this Thursday, June 16, 2011, file photo, Pakistani villagers offer funeral prayers for people who were reportedly killed by a U.S. drone attack in Miranshah, capital of Pakistani tribal region of North Waziristan along the Afghanistan border. (AP Photo/Hasbunullah, File)

Alongside the Washington Post’s latest blockbuster reports on the Obama administration’s drone kill list is a new graphic, depicting US covert strikes since 2002. Based on reports by monitoring organisations, the graphic lists hundreds of US drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, in what the paper says will be a regularly updated project.

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October 2012 Update: US Covert Actions In Pakistan, Yemen And Somalia

By Chris Woods, Alice Ross and Jack Serle Pakistan: Reported casualties from CIA drone strikes in Pakistan double this month compared with September. Agency targets include a North Waziristan madrassa, killing at least 16. Yemen: Thirteen named militants are among those killed in Yemen, with US operations continuing below their May 2012 peak. Somalia: No US drone strikes are again reported from Somalia, […]

Chris Woods
By Chris Woods
In this Jan. 31, 2010 file photo, an unmanned U.S. Predator drone flies over Kandahar Air Field, southern Afghanistan, on a moon-lit night. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

By Chris Woods, Alice Ross and Jack Serle Pakistan: Reported casualties from CIA drone strikes in Pakistan double this month compared with September. Agency targets include a North Waziristan madrassa, killing at least 16. Yemen: Thirteen named militants are among those killed in Yemen, with US operations continuing below their May 2012

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Imran Khan’s March Brings Global Attention To CIA Drone Strikes

US peace activists joined politicians, lawyers and the world’s press on Sunday as they attempted to march into Pakistan’s tribal region in protest at the CIA’s drone campaign. The two-day march, organised by Imran Khan, the cricketer-turned-presidential hopeful who leads the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, set out from Islamabad on Saturday aiming to hold a rally in […]

Chris Woods
By Chris Woods
Pakistan's ex-cricket star-turned-politician Imran Khan, center, is surrounded by his supporters as he arrives to lead what organizers are calling the "peace march," in Islamabad, Pakistan, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012. (AP Photo)

US peace activists joined politicians, lawyers and the world’s press on Sunday as they attempted to march into Pakistan’s tribal region in protest at the CIA’s drone campaign. The two-day march, organised by Imran Khan, the cricketer-turned-presidential hopeful who leads the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, set out from Islamabad on Saturday

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Pakistan ‘Categorically Rejects’ Claim That It Tacitly Allows US Drone Strikes

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has bluntly rejected claims by the Obama administration that it tacitly approves CIA drone strikes on its territory, saying that ‘drone attacks are illegal, counterproductive, in contravention of international law and a violation of Pakistani sovereignty.’ The remarks came after the Wall Street Journal revealed that US claims of legality appear built on a […]

Chris Woods
By Chris Woods
A Global Hawk UAV, similar to the one used in an airstrike on Pakistani homes on Feb. 9, 2011 (Photo by Burt Lum)

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has bluntly rejected claims by the Obama administration that it tacitly approves CIA drone strikes on its territory, saying that ‘drone attacks are illegal, counterproductive, in contravention of international law and a violation of Pakistani sovereignty.’ The remarks came after the Wall Street Journal revealed that

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September 2012 Update: US Covert Actions In Pakistan, Yemen And Somalia

By Jack Serle and Chris Woods Pakistan: CIA drone strikes pause for a short period as Muslims protest around the world against a US-made video. A senior al Qaeda leader is killed in resumed strikes. Yemen: Eleven named civilians die in a strike in central Yemen, the worst civilian tally since May. The US declines to say if its drones are responsible. […]

Chris Woods
By Chris Woods
Pakistanis rally against United States and condemned drone attacks on militants in Pakistani tribal areas along the Afghanistan border, Friday, Dec. 4, 2009 in Lahore, Pakistan. (AP Photo/K.M.Chaudary)

By Jack Serle and Chris Woods Pakistan: CIA drone strikes pause for a short period as Muslims protest around the world against a US-made video. A senior al Qaeda leader is killed in resumed strikes. Yemen: Eleven named civilians die in a strike in central Yemen, the worst civilian tally since May. The US declines to say if its drones are

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‘Drones Causing Mass Trauma Among Civilians,’ Major Study Finds

The near constant presence of CIA drones ‘terrorises’ much of the civilian population of Pakistan’s tribal areas according to a new report. Men, women and children are subjected to almost constant trauma – including fear of attack, severe anxiety, powerlessness, insomnia and high levels of stress – says a nine month investigation into CIA drone strikes […]

Chris Woods
By Chris Woods
An armed US military Reaper drone over Afghanistan. (US Air Force/ Lt Col Lesley Pratt/ Flickr)

The near constant presence of CIA drones ‘terrorises’ much of the civilian population of Pakistan’s tribal areas according to a new report. Men, women and children are subjected to almost constant trauma – including fear of attack, severe anxiety, powerlessness, insomnia and high levels of stress – says a nine month investigation into CIA drone

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