U.S. rights group asks for facts on drone program

[The Northerner]

It seems as if the controversial drone program of the United States is going to attract international attention in the coming days and weeks. Human rights bodies across the globe and legal experts deem the drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen illegal and counterproductive while the United States has come up with a statement justifying the attacks. The US officials believe that as long as potential terrorists are being killed, the drone strikes are not only legal and ethical but also productive enough to eliminate threat of terrorism.

A heated debate on the issue is being expected in the United States as human rights activists are planning to pressure the government to end drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen. One such group identified as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has asked the Justice Department for release of all the documents related to the drone program. The group deems the killing of suspected terrorists in the drone attacks as extrajudicial killing and hence illegal. Human rights activists across the globe believe that drone attacks are not only unlawful but counterproductive as well.

It is a fact and the US itself accedes to it that innocent civilians including women and children are also killed in the strikes. Indeed, some potential terrorists are also killed in tribal region of Pakistan but who is responsible for the collateral damage. Schools, hospitals and homes are blown in the drone attacks while terrorists simply shift from one place to another. Pakistan has been pressuring the United States to end the campaign as it is breach of sovereignty and integrity of the country. After the recent drone strike wherein around four suspected terrorists were killed, Pakistan formally lodged its protest with the US ambassador in the country.

It has been around eight years to the drone strikes inside Pakistani border but now the Pakistani leaders appear a bit concerned about the campaign. The country’s parliament has recently passed some guidelines for resumption of dialogue with the United States. One of the points of the guidelines is to stop the US from carrying out drone strikes as it is violation of the country’s sovereignty. Relations between both the countries went to the lowest ebbs after NATO troops killed around 24 Pakistani soldiers in an air raid in November last year. The unilateral operation against al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden also dealt another blow to the already strained relations.

Read more: http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/12062196-us-rights-group-asks-for-facts-on-drone-program


I really hope that more people become aware and involved in protesting the ongoing slaughter of foreign civilians and suspects because I doubt that the citizens of those countries, whose people were slaughtered by drone strikes, will forgive and forget that easily or quickly which could result in more unnecessary blowback.

[msongs]

1. sorry but our serial killers are better than "their" serial killers. good luck with that tho nt

[gratuitous]

2. But they're all in keeping with the principle of necessity

And we make every effort to minimize unnecessary suffering. We're mostly pretty careful about the missile targets, and we're very, very sorry when the wrong people are blown to bits. Not sorry enough to stop, but plenty sorry nonetheless. Besides, we're the good guys. See? See?

Can't you just see how good and exceptional we are? Everybody loves us, you know. We're really very popular. Maybe you shouldn't make such a big stink about this, considering how everyone secretly or not-so-secretly wants to be an American. You're not going to bring up a bunch of superannuated nonsense from some quaint old documents, are you? Still a few missiles left in our arsenal, you know. Think about it, because we sure are . . .