U.S. Said to Reduce Civilian Deaths After Increasing CIA Pakistan Strikes

[unhappycamper]

U.S. Said to Reduce Civilian Deaths After Increasing CIA Pakistan Strikes
By Tony Capaccio and Jeff Bliss - Mon Jan 31 05:01:00 GMT 2011

The Central Intelligence Agency, while increasing the frequency of drone strikes in Pakistan, has reduced civilian casualties, a U.S. official and independent analysts said.

The 75 strikes launched in the ungoverned tribal region since the drone program accelerated in mid-August have killed several hundred militants without causing any deaths among civilian non-combatants, said the U.S. official, who, lacking authorization to discuss the program, requested anonymity.

Analysts who monitor developments in the region said figures based on press reports show a decline in unintended deaths, although verifying exact figures may be impossible.

“The drone strikes do appear to becoming less lethal for civilians as time goes on,” said Bill Roggio, editor of The Long War Journal, which reports on terrorism and is based in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.

The Obama administration’s reluctance to share evidence, such as video, or allow independent investigations of the casualty reports has made verification hard, said Ali Dayan Hasan, Pakistani representative at the New York-based Human Rights Watch.


And BBC says:

Afghanistan: Civilian deaths hit 'record levels'
1 February 2011 Last updated at 08:17 ET

The number of civilians killed in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion a decade ago hit record levels last year, according to a new report.

Some 2,421 civilians were killed, most at the hands of insurgents, the Kabul-based Afghanistan Rights Monitor said.

Foreign troops were to blame for about a fifth of all deaths - a slight fall on the previous year, the report says.

Correspondents say most officials are expecting at least the same level of violence, if not higher, this year.

As many as seven civilians were killed every day in Afghanistan last year, a record in the nine-year-old war, according to the Afghanistan Rights Monitor.

[maryf]

1. Not one more day, not one more dollar, not one more death...

No collateral damage! thanks for the reports, though I don't necessarily believe them...rec'd