Human Rights Groups Criticize US Drone And Missile Strikes

Human Rights Groups Criticize US Drone And Missile Strikes

The United States was accused by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International of breaking international law due to the deaths of civilians from drone and missile strikes in Yemen and Pakistan. Separate reports were released by the human rights groups indicating that many civilians were killed due to the strikes that were meant to hit militants in the two countries.

The groups pushed for an investigation by Congress and the Obama administration on the incidents. Amnesty International Pakistan researcher Mustafa Qadri indicated that the US government should come clean.

Jay Carney, spokesman for the White House, indicated that administration officials were taking the matter of civilian casualties seriously. Although he did not reveal the details of the operations, he indicated that US policies complied with domestic and international obligations. US officials have indicated that drone and missile strikes were targeted carefully while reducing possible civilian casualties.

However, Human Rights Watch’s Letta Tayler indicated that a number of international law violations were discovered by her organization where a number of civilians were killed in Yemen. The two human rights groups urged accountability and transparency in US policy in US drone and missile attacks in Yemen and Pakistan.

An increase in attacks was noted during the Obama administration as drones became a significant component in its fight against al Qaeda. Obama spokes about drone strikes last May and he indicated that prior to the strikes, it must nearly certain that no civilians will be affected.

Pakistan revealed to the United Nations that around 2,200 people were killed due to drone strikes in the last ten years. Human rights advocates indicated that the US did not follow its own guidelines, and used drone and missile strikes even without the presence of the targets.

The researcher of Amnesty International also indicated that he was concerned at the possibility that Pakistan authorities may be involved in the drone and missile strikes.

Posted by James Fried on Thursday October 24 2013, 3:52 AM EST. Ref: Reuters. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0