Produced by War Costs

A recent field report conducted by Stanford University and New York University was made public detailing for the first time the dreadful affects the Obama Administration’s Drone War is having on the innocent Pakistani civilian population. It is estimated through available data that between June 2004 through mid-September 2012 drone strikes killed between 2,562 – 3325 innocent Pakistani’s, of whom 474 – 881 were civilians including 176 children.

The use of these Drone’s is expected to substantially increase not only in Pakistan but anywhere the military deems necessary not to mention increased use in the United States.

Following is the Executive Summary from the field report –

LIVING UNDER DRONES
Death, Injury and Trauma to Civilians from US Drone Practices in Pakistan

In the United States, the dominant narrative about the use of drones in Pakistan is of a
surgically precise and effective tool that makes the US safer by enabling “targeted
killing” of terrorists, with minimal downsides or collateral impacts.1

This narrative is false.

Following nine months of intensive research—including two investigations in Pakistan,
more than 130 interviews with victims, witnesses, and experts, and review of thousands
of pages of documentation and media reporting—this report presents evidence of the
damaging and counterproductive effects of current US drone strike policies. Based on
extensive interviews with Pakistanis living in the regions directly affected, as well as
humanitarian and medical workers, this report provides new and firsthand testimony
about the negative impacts US policies are having on the civilians living under drones.

Real threats to US security and to Pakistani civilians exist in the Pakistani border areas
now targeted by drones. It is crucial that the US be able to protect itself from terrorist
threats, and that the great harm caused by terrorists to Pakistani civilians be addressed.
However, in light of significant evidence of harmful impacts to Pakistani civilians and to
US interests, current policies to address terrorism through targeted killings and drone
strikes must be carefully re-evaluated.

It is essential that public debate about US policies take the negative effects of current
policies into account.

Read the full report by clicking HERE

h/t whatreallyhappened