Group Warns Drone Users Violating Laws of War

[tekisui]

Source: CBS

As the Obama administration ramped up its use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, in the fight against Islamic militants on foreign soil, questions of legality and the rules of modern warfare became inevitable. The Pentagon now has 7,000 drones -- up from less than 50 in 2001 -- and the long-term consequences and benefits are yet to be determined.

Several rounds of questions have been raised by U.N. Special Envoys, particularly the Special Envoy for Extrajudicial Killings, about whether noncombatants (a CIA employee, for example) are covered by the laws of war (the Geneva Conventions).

A report released Thursday by the Oxford Research Group, an independent London think-tank, concludes that all parties involved in drone attacks are legally obligated to search for and identify all persons killed in such strikes.

Other requirements, according to the scholars' examination of current international law, include establishing official graves and a registration service for the dead.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-20073609-503543.html#ixzz1Q7ERkIA5

Oxford Research Group Report here: http://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/publications/briefing_papers_and_reports/discussion_paper_2

[G_j]

1. obligated to search for and identify all persons killed in such strikes.

YES!

[tekisui]

2. Rather than just label them all extremists or militants.

Indeed.

[G_j]

3. I remember after shock and awe in Iraq

the military said it was not their job to account for causalities, including civilians. It's a very disturbing attitude across the board.

[gratuitous]

4. Oh, what do a bunch of Oxford eggheads know anyway?

We're the exceptional empire. We can do whatever we want without repercussions or consequences. No one can or ever will hold us accountable for indiscriminate bombing of population centers in other countries because our hearts are pure and our motives are the highest. Everyone who disagrees is no better than drone fodder, terrorists or terrorist sympathizers and fellow travelers. We have no obligation to any person luckless enough to get in our way, because we are a Force of Nature. You don't expect an earthquake or a tornado to establish graves or register its victims, do you? The United States is similarly an Act of God.

There. That's all taken care of. Resume dropping bombs and launching missile strikes, and shame on anyone who speaks ill of it.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

5. Pretty much a bogus position...