The government estimates say at least 400 civilians have been killed in drone strikes in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas – a figure close to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism’s findings.
In evidence to Ben Emmerson QC, UN special rapporteur on counter-terrorism, the Foreign Ministry has said that the US drones have killed at least 2,200 people in the country, including at least 400 civilians. This is close to the bureau’s low range estimate of 411.
The figures were disclosed to Emerson as he made a three-day visit to the country. The ministry, which compiled the figures, said a further 200 of the total dead were likely to be civilians too.
“The US drone campaign in Pakistan… involves the use of force on the territory of another state without its consent and is therefore a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty.”
The US has consistently denied this level of non-combatant death, most recently claiming civilian casualties were ‘typically in single digits’ for each year of the nine-year campaign in Pakistan.
The bureau estimates that 411-884 civilians were among 2,536-3,577 people reportedly killed in the drone strikes in Pakistan, based on its two-year analysis of news reports, court documents, field investigations and other sources.
