America’s covert drone war on Al Qaeda and the Taliban has killed up to 168 children in the country over the last seven years, according to an independent study released on Thursday. The London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism said its research showed there had been many more CIA attacks on alleged militant targets, leading to far more deaths than previously reported.
It said 291 CIA drone strikes had taken place in Pakistan since 2004, eight percent more than previously reported, and that under US President Barack Obama there had been 236 strikes – one every four days. The bureau said most of the 2,292 to 2,863 people reported to have died were low-ranking militants, but that only 126 fighters had been named.
It said it had credible reports of at least 385 civilians and a possible upper limit of 775 civilians being killed. It said there were reports of at least 164 children being killed and possibly up to 168. Washington does not confirm Predator drone attacks, but US officials privately describe the programme as vital in the fight against militants and say that the strikes are accurate, limiting any collateral damage.