Over 700 killed in multiple predator strikes in 2009

[Damaera]

I'm just going to go ahead and quote the article from another thread I found this on.

Over 700 killed in 44 drone strikes in 2009

PESHAWAR: Of the 44 predator strikes carried out by US drones in the tribal areas of Pakistan over the past 12 months, only five were able to hit their actual targets, killing five key Al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders, but at the cost of over 700 innocent civilians.

According to the statistics compiled by Pakistani authorities, the Afghanistan-based US drones killed 708 people in 44 predator attacks targeting the tribal areas between January 1 and December 31, 2009.

For each Al Qaeda and Taliban terrorist killed by US drones, 140 innocent Pakistanis also had to die. Over 90 per cent of those killed in the deadly missile strikes were civilians, claim authorities.

The success percentage for the drone hits during 2009 was hardly 11 per cent. On average, 58 civilians were killed in these attacks every month, 12 persons every week and almost two people every day. Most of the attacks were carried out on the basis of human intelligence, reportedly provided by the Pakistani and Afghan tribesmen, who are spying for the US-led allied forces in Afghanistan.

Of the five successful predator attacks carried out in 2009, the first one came on January 1, which reportedly killed two senior al-Qaeda leaders – Usama al-Kin and Sheikh Ahmed Salim – both wanted by the American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Kin was the chief operational commander of Al-Qaeda in Pakistan and had replaced Abu Faraj Al Libi after his arrest in 2004.

The second successful drone attack was conducted on August 5 in South Waziristan that killed the most wanted fugitive chief of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan Baitullah Mehsud along with his wife.

The US State Department had announces a $5million head money for information leading to Baitullah, making him the only Pakistani fugitive with the head money separately announced by Islamabad and Washington. –DawnNews

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect...-700-killed-in-44-drone-strikes-in-2009-am-01

The sad part about this? Most of the deaths were civilians.

I don't know what to think. I know that this is war and all, but this is just pretty ****ed up.

 

[The Deco]

What is new, we are hearing in Israel a lot about our failure to protect human rights in Gaza during the LAST ATTACK.

But do not take it so simply Damaera, there are different circumstances, those Al Qaeda elites might have walked in civilian areas on purpose.

 

[Avenger]

Dude. You murdered more CHILDREN than you did soldiers in Gaza. You bombed HOSPITALS that the UN told you not to touch. You can't even remotely compare the two. In comparison to Israel, the US is mother ****ing theresa.

Oh, and afterward, you refused to pay any money to rebuild the hospitals and schools you broke. Good job there.

 

[Damaera]

Dude. You murdered more CHILDREN than you did soldiers in Gaza. You bombed HOSPITALS that the UN told you not to touch. You can't even remotely compare the two. In comparison to Israel, the US is mother ****ing theresa.

Oh, and afterward, you refused to pay any money to rebuild the hospitals and schools you broke. Good job there.

Don't worry about Avenger, Deco. I think some Israelis made fun of Avenger's family which scarred him for life.

 

[Deman]

While the US will still have innocent blood on its hands, at least we're doing something about it. Not really offering money, but at least switching from Hellfires to a less collateral damage inducing missile, the Scorpion.

The CIA is using new, smaller missiles and advanced surveillance techniques to minimize civilian casualties in its targeted killings of suspected insurgents in Pakistan's tribal areas, according to current and former officials in the United States and Pakistan.

The technological improvements have resulted in more accurate operations that have provoked relatively little public outrage, the officials said. Pakistan's government has tolerated the airstrikes, which have killed hundreds of suspected insurgents since early 2009, but that support has always been fragile and could quickly evaporate, U.S. and Pakistani officials said.

The CIA declines to publicly discuss its clandestine operations in Pakistan, and a spokesman would not comment on the kinds of weapons the agency is using. But two counterterrorism officials said in interviews that evolving technology and tactics have kept the number of civilian deaths extremely low. The officials, along with other U.S. and Pakistani officials interviewed for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity because the drone campaign is both classified and controversial.

Last month, a small CIA missile, probably no bigger than a violin case and weighing about 35 pounds, tore through the second floor of a house in Miram Shah, a town in the tribal province of South Waziristan. The projectile exploded, killing a top al-Qaeda official and about nine other suspected terrorists.

The mud-brick house collapsed and the roof of a neighboring house was damaged, but no one else in the town of 5,000 was hurt, according to U.S. officials who have reviewed after-action reports.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/25/AR2010042503114.html?hpid=artslot

There's more to the article after that, btw.

 

[Avenger]

Don't worry about Avenger, Deco. I think some Israelis made fun of Avenger's family which scarred him for life.

I don't know what your new and sudden problem is, Dam, but it doesn't suit you.

While the US will still have innocent blood on its hands, at least we're doing something about it. Not really offering money, but at least switching from Hellfires to a less collateral damage inducing missile, the Scorpion.

Overall I get the impression that the US military is focusing more and more on precision rather than devastation. Saw a lot of nifty new technology in Discovery Channel, involving your military's prototype weaponry, that could save civilian lives (and military ones, obviously) - like for example the net that very efficiently stops any car that drives over it (stops suicide bombers).

 

[Rocky]

Did anyone else think Predator from AvP?

I felt bad after reading the thread content. Oh and Avenger has a thing against Israel spanning several years, try not get baited by him.

 

[-Origin]

I did, Rocky. I was tempted to post a picture of a Predator but after reading the content of the topic, I felt it was inappropriate.

 

[Rocky]

I want you to have my babies.

Or me to have your babies, whichever is more relevant

 

[-Origin]

I'll have yours if you'll have mine.

 

[Rocky]

It's a deal!

 

[Painkiller]

Dude. You murdered more CHILDREN than you did soldiers in Gaza. You bombed HOSPITALS that the UN told you not to touch. You can't even remotely compare the two. In comparison to Israel, the US is mother ****ing theresa.

Oh, and afterward, you refused to pay any money to rebuild the hospitals and schools you broke. Good job there.

I felt bad after reading the thread content. Oh and Avenger has a thing against Israel spanning several years, try not get baited by him.

He has probably lived till now hating them.
He was running, and one day when he has the same eyes as their's he'll attack them (rofl I lmao'd at that one)

 

[Prozac]

Doesn't change the fact that he's stating facts.

 

[Avenger]

Oh and Avenger has a thing against Israel spanning several years, try not get baited by him.

Spamming and then disrespecting my opinion because I dislike an organization's actions... I'm not sure who's baiting who here.

He has probably lived till now hating them.
He was running, and one day when he has the same eyes as their's he'll attack them (rofl I lmao'd at that one)

If you had an IQ point for every time you made a crappy joke, you'd almost have normal intelligence.


On a sidenote: Does anyone know of an alternate source to these statistics? I was under the impression Predator drones were fairly accurate, and used mostly in areas where civilians wouldn't get slaughtered.

 

[Synth]

That's a lot of killstreaks in Modern Warfare 2.

 

[Painkiller]

I wantz to play WF 2

 

[Deman]

On a sidenote: Does anyone know of an alternate source to these statistics? I was under the impression Predator drones were fairly accurate, and used mostly in areas where civilians wouldn't get slaughtered.

http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2010/04/predator_strikes_leaner_meaner_1.php

The CIA's estimates put Pakistani civilian deaths over the last 15 months at just over 20 while the local news in Pakistan gives us much more inflated numbers. And can I ask you guys to drop the subject of Israel for now? It's not really related to this thread, IMO, and continued discussion of that topic here will just throw us further and further off topic.

 

[Damaera]

I wantz to play WF 2

Thanks for the constructive post.

 

[Avenger]

Thanks for the constructive post.

You too, Deputy Moderator Damaera.

The CIA's estimates put Pakistani civilian deaths over the last 15 months at just over 20 while the local news in Pakistan gives us much more inflated numbers

Then the question is: is the CIA lying (they have a record of doing so), or is the local news in Pakistan "making news" by manipulating the numbers? I guess they both have motive to lie.

And can I ask you guys to drop the subject of Israel for now?

I wasn't going to bring it up again in this thread; if I was going to bring it up again at all I'd probably have made a new thread.

 

[Deman]

Then the question is: is the CIA lying (they have a record of doing so), or is the local news in Pakistan "making news" by manipulating the numbers? I guess they both have motive to lie.

Indeed. An occupying nation has just as much reason to deflate the number of deaths as the occupied country has reason to inflate figures. One thing to keep in mind to is that these are unmanned drones so there is no person around to confirm the kills. Unless they've got continued surveillance to see just how many bodies are being pulled from the rubble and the ability to identify them as terrorist or civilian, our numbers will be off. Another thing to keep in mind is whether or not Pakistan considers the individuals killed terrorists. Especially considering how easy it is to be put on the terrorist list.