The Asian News International news agency reports:
As many as 2,043 people, mostly civilians, were killed in US drone attacks in northwestern parts of Pakistan during the last five years, a research has revealed.
The yearly report of Conflict Monitoring Centre (CMC) has termed the CIA drone strikes as an ”assassination campaign turning out to be revenge campaign”, and showed that 2010 was the deadliest year ever of causalities resulted in drone-hits in Pakistan.
According to the report, 134 drone attacks were reported in Pakistan’s FATA region in 2010 alone, inflicting 929 causalities. December 17 was the deadliest day of 2010 when three drone attacks killed 54 people in Khyber Agency.
Regarding civilian causalities and attacks on women and children, the report said: “People in the tribal belt usually carry guns and ammunition as a tradition. US drone will identify anyone carrying a gun as a militant and subsequently he will be killed.”
“Many times, people involved in rescue activities also come under attack. The assumption that these people are supporters of militants is quite wrong,” The Nation quoted the CMC report, as stating.
The document cited the Brooking Institute”s research, which suggested that with every militant killed, nearly ten civilians also died.
It also mentioned a related research report of Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC), which underlined that at least 2,100 civilians were killed and various others injured during 2009, in the ongoing war on terror and drone attacks.
The CMC report, “2010, The Year of Assassination by Drones,” can be read here [PDF].
I remember when “Katrina” hit New Orleans and the aftermath when the National Guard came, then there was a General assigned to take charge, whose name I can’t remember, but I do remember his reprimanding some soldier for walking around with his rifle at the ready, telling him to put it away. This is the type that’s needed today. Not to tell the combat troops, but the ones sitting out in the desert in the U.S. looking at monitors attacking with the drones. To them, it’s the same as playing a video game, a 1st person shooter or real time strategy. Up front & impersonal. This war business has descended into a sickness, that will only get worse as time passes. There is no victory here, just more death of the innocents. Why the hell the U.S. thinks that they are any different than all the rest who came before & ended up being defeated by the natives, is beyond the realm of sanity. The mindset today in the War Mongers won’t be satisfied until 1 or more cities in the U.S. are destroyed by Nuclear bombs, regardless of who detonates them, friend, foe, collateral damage, whatever.
OBAMA=WAR CRIMINAL
HAGUE NOW!