Просмотр кода страницы Английская Википедия:Drone strikes in Pakistan

{{Английская Википедия/Панель перехода}}
{{Short description|2004–2018 US drone strikes in Northwest Pakistan}}
{{pp-move-indef}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Use Pakistani English|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Drone strikes in Pakistan
| partof            = the [[Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]],<br /> the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|War in Afghanistan]] and the [[War on terror]]
| image             = MQ-9 Afghanistan takeoff 1 Oct 07.JPG
| caption           = An [[MQ-9 Reaper]] landing in [[Afghanistan]].
| date              = 18 June 2004 – 4 July 2018<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1134041/drone-strike-in-north-waziristan-kills-at-least-eight|title=Drone strike in North Waziristan kills at least eight|work=Zahir Shah Sherazi|date=24 September 2014|agency=Dawn|access-date=24 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924113608/http://www.dawn.com/news/1134041/drone-strike-in-north-waziristan-kills-at-least-eight|archive-date=24 September 2014|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1136422/drone-strike-kills-five-in-south-waziristan|title=Drone strike kills five in South Waziristan|publisher=DAWN – SHAE|access-date=7 October 2014|author=Zahir Shah Sherazi|date=5 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007001319/http://www.dawn.com/news/1136422/drone-strike-kills-five-in-south-waziristan|archive-date=7 October 2014|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1136589/drone-strike-kills-eight-wounds-six-in-north-waziristan|title=Drone strike kills eight, wounds six in North Waziristan|work=Zahir Shah Sherazi|date=6 October 2014|agency=Dawn|access-date=7 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006195004/http://www.dawn.com/news/1136589/drone-strike-kills-eight-wounds-six-in-north-waziristan|archive-date=6 October 2014|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1136601/second-drone-attack-of-the-day-kills-three-suspected-militants-in-nwa|title=Second drone attack of the day kills three suspected militants in NWA|work=Zahir Shah Sherazi|date=7 October 2014|agency=Dawn|access-date=7 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007170706/http://www.dawn.com/news/1136601/second-drone-attack-of-the-day-kills-three-suspected-militants-in-nwa|archive-date=7 October 2014|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1141332/drone-strike-kills-four-suspected-militants-in-north-waziristan|title=Drone strike kills four suspected militants in North Waziristan|work=Zahir Shah Sherazi|date=30 October 2014|agency=Dawn|access-date=30 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030072342/http://www.dawn.com/news/1141332/drone-strike-kills-four-suspected-militants-in-north-waziristan|archive-date=30 October 2014|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><br />
| place             = [[Federally Administered Tribal Areas|Federal Tribal Areas]], [[Pakistan]]
| casus             = 
| territory         = 
| result            = American operational success<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sabin Agha|first1=Peter Oborne|title=Pakistan is winning its war on terror|url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/12/pakistan-is-winning-its-war-on-terror/|access-date=27 May 2020|work=[[The Spectator]]|date=31 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012042856/https://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/12/pakistan-is-winning-its-war-on-terror/|archive-date=12 October 2017|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
* Most recent drone strike launched in July 2018.
* 81 high-level insurgent leaders and thousands of low-level insurgents killed<ref>[https://www.newamerica.org/in-depth/americas-counterterrorism-wars/pakistan/ "Pakistan Leaders Killed"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918155803/https://www.newamerica.org/in-depth/americas-counterterrorism-wars/pakistan/ |date=18 September 2017 }}. New America Foundation. 23 June 2018.</ref>
* Deaths of Afghan Taliban head [[Akhtar Mansour]], and successive TTP heads [[Baitullah Mehsud]] and [[Hakimullah Mehsud]].
* Deaths of hundreds of Pakistanis civilians.
* Destruction of numerous insurgent camps and safe havens
* 5 drone strikes in 2017, followed by one in 2018 and none in 2019<ref>{{cite news|url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NAfjFonM-Tn7fziqiv33HlGt09wgLZDSCP-BQaux51w/edit#gid=694046452|title=CIA drone strikes in Pakistan, 2004 to present|work=[[Bureau of Investigative Journalism]]|date=24 January 2018|access-date=15 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305185135/https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NAfjFonM-Tn7fziqiv33HlGt09wgLZDSCP-BQaux51w/edit#gid=694046452|archive-date=5 March 2017|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
* Substantial reduction in insurgent activity by 2017.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sabin Agha|first1=Peter Oborne|title=Pakistan is winning its war on terror|url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/12/pakistan-is-winning-its-war-on-terror/|access-date=21 September 2017|work=[[The Spectator]]|date=31 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012042856/https://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/12/pakistan-is-winning-its-war-on-terror/|archive-date=12 October 2017|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
* 430 drone strikes confirmed<ref name="bureau-pakistan">{{cite web|url=https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/projects/drone-war/pakistan|title=Drone War: Pakistan|access-date=2018-04-20|publisher=[[The Bureau of Investigative Journalism]]|archive-date=21 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421162837/https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/projects/drone-war/pakistan|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| combatant1        = {{flag|Pakistan|size=25px}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rashid |first1=Ahmed |title=Pakistan in the Brink |date=2012 |publisher=Allen Lane |isbn=9781846145858 |page=54}}</ref><ref name=WP1>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/03/AR2008110302638.html A Quiet Deal With Pakistan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107092057/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/03/AR2008110302638.html |date=7 November 2017 }}, [[The Washington Post]], 4 October 2008</ref> 
----
{{flag|United States|size=23px}}
* {{Air force|United States|name=USAF|size=23px}}
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.svg|size=23px}} [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]
'''Supported by:'''
*{{flag|United Kingdom}}
| combatant2        = {{ubl|{{Flagdeco|Afghanistan|Taliban}} [[Taliban]]|{{flagicon image|Flag of Tehrik-i-Taliban.svg}} [[Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan]]|{{flagicon image|Tnsm-flag.svg}} [[Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi|TNSM]]|{{flagdeco|Afghanistan|Taliban}} [[Haqqani network]]|{{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda.svg}} [[al-Qaeda]]|{{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} [[Lashkar-e-Islam]]|{{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} [[Mujahideen|Foreign Mujahideen]]|{{nowrap|{{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} [[Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan|Uzbek Islamic Movement]]}}|{{flagicon image| Flag of Turkistan Islamic Party.svg}} [[Turkistan Islamic Party]]|{{flagicon|Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant}} [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|Islamic State affiliates]]}}
| commander1        = {{ubl|{{flagicon|United States}} '''United States'''{{ubl|[[President of United States|President]]{{ubl|[[Donald Trump]] <br /><small>(2017–18)</small>|[[Barack Obama]] <br /><small>(2009–17)</small>|[[George W. Bush]] <br /><small>(2004–09)</small>}}}}|{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} '''United Kingdom'''{{ubl|[[Prime Minister of United Kingdom|Prime Minister]]{{ubl|[[Theresa May]]<br /><small>(2016–2019)</small>|[[David Cameron]] <br /><small>(2010–16)</small>|[[Gordon Brown]] <br /><small>(2007–10)</small>|[[Tony Blair]] <br /><small>(2004–07)</small>}}}}}}
| commander2        = {{ubl|{{flagicon image|Flag_of_Tehrik-i-Taliban.svg}} '''Tehrik-i-Taliban'''{{ubl|
[[Maulana Fazlullah]]{{KIA}}|[[Hakimullah Mehsud]]{{KIA}}|[[Baitullah Mehsud]]{{KIA}}|[[Nek Muhammad Wazir]]{{KIA}}|[[Abdullah Mehsud]]{{KIA}}|[[Hafiz Gul Bahadur]]|[[Adnan Rashid]]|[[Nasib Zada]]{{KIA}}<ref>{{cite news|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/43000/taliban-leader-killed-in-firefight-with-police/ |title=Taliban leader killed in firefight with police|newspaper=[[Express Tribune]]|date=26 August 2010 |access-date=26 March 2011}}</ref>}}|[[Qari Hussain]]{{KIA}}|[[Maulvi Nazir]]{{KIA}}|[[Wali-ur-Rehman]]{{KIA}}|[[Khan Said|Khan Saeed Mehsud Sajna]]{{KIA}}|[[Mangal Bagh]]{{KIA}}|[[Omar Khalid Khorasani]]{{KIA}}|[[Faqir Mohammed]]{{POW}}<ref>{{cite news|url=http://dawn.com/2013/02/18/former-pakistani-taliban-no-2-arrested-in-afghanistan-reports/ |title=Former Pakistani Taliban No 2 arrested in Afghanistan: Reports |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130219180624/http://dawn.com/2013/02/18/former-pakistani-taliban-no-2-arrested-in-afghanistan-reports/ |archive-date=19 February 2013 }}</ref>|[[Sufi Muhammad]]{{POW}}|{{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} '''al-Qaeda'''{{ubl|[[Ayman al-Zawahiri]]{{KIA}}|[[Osama bin Laden]]{{KIA}}|[[Muhsin Musa Matwalli Atwah]]{{KIA}}|[[Abu Laith al-Libi]]{{KIA}}|[[Khalid Habib]]{{KIA}}|[[Mohammad Hasan Khalil al-Hakim]]{{KIA}}|[[Fahid Mohammed Ally Msalam]] {{KIA}}|[[Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan]]{{KIA}}|[[Saad bin Laden]]{{KIA}}|[[Abdullah Said al Libi]]{{KIA}}|[[Saeed al-Masri]]{{KIA}}|[[Ahmed Mohammed Hamed Ali]]{{KIA}}|[[Sheikh Fateh]]{{KIA}}<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11429016 |work=BBC News | title=US missile strike 'kills al-Qaeda chief' in Pakistan | date=28 September 2010}}</ref>|[[Ilyas Kashmiri]] {{KIA}}|[[Atiyah Abd al-Rahman]]{{KIA}}|[[Abu Yahya al-Libi]]{{KIA}}|[[Hassan Ghul]]{{KIA}}|[[Abu-Zaid al Kuwaiti]]{{KIA}}|[[Farman Ali Shinwari]]{{KIA}}|[[Said Bahaji]]{{KIA}}|[[Adnan Gulshair el Shukrijumah]]{{KIA}}<ref name="Pakistani army kills al-Qaeda leader who grew up in the US">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/06/world/asia/pakistan-al-qaeda-death/index.html?iref=allsearch|title=Pakistan kills al Qaeda leader on FBI most wanted list|author=Sophia Saifi, Ben Brumfield and Susan Candiotti|date=6 December 2014|work=CNN|access-date=6 July 2015}}</ref>|[[Ustad Ahmad Farooq (terrorist)|Ustad Ahmad Farooq]]{{KIA}}|[[Adam Yahiye Gadahn]]{{KIA}}|[[Matiur Rehman]]{{KIA}}|[[Hamza bin Laden]]{{KIA}}|[[Abu Khalil al-Madani]]{{KIA}}|[[Asim Umar]]{{KIA}}|[[Abu Muhsin al-Masri]]{{KIA}}|[[Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan]]{{KIA}}}}}}
----
{{ubl|{{flagicon|Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant}} '''ISIL'''{{ubl|[[Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi]]{{KIA}}|[[Hafiz Saeed Khan]]{{KIA}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2016/02/what-happened-to-isiss-afghanistan-pakistan-province/|title=What Happened to ISIS's Afghanistan-Pakistan Province?|author1=Arif Rafiq |work=The Diplomat}}</ref>|[[Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost]] <small>(2014–2015)</small><ref>{{cite web|title=Released Gitmo detainee joins ISIS – Former Taliban commander named chief of ISIS in Khorasa|url=http://video.foxnews.com/v/3899320881001/released-gitmo-detainee-joins-isis/?intcmp=ob_article_sidebar_video&intcmp=obnetwork#sp=show-clips|website=Fox News|access-date=23 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Local support for dreaded Islamic State growing in Pakistan: Report|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Local-support-for-dreaded-Islamic-State-growing-in-Pakistan-Report/articleshow/45149421.cms|work=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=23 November 2014}}</ref>|[[Usman Ghazi]]{{KIA}}<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web|title=IMU announces death of emir, names new leader|url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/08/imu_announces_death_1.php| website = The Long War Journal|date=4 August 2014}}</ref>}}
|{{flagicon|Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant}} '''IMU Group'''{{ubl|[[Usman Ghazi]]{{KIA}}||[[Abu Usman Adil]]{{KIA}}|[[Tohir Yo'ldosh|Tohir Yuldashev]]{{KIA}}|[[Najmiddin Jalolov]]{{KIA}}}}}}
| strength1         = c. 30 UAVs 
[[MQ-9 Reaper]]<ref
 name=wapo1Sept2011>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/cia-shifts-focus-to-killing-targets/2011/08/30/gIQA7MZGvJ_story.html|title=CIA shifts focus to killing targets|newspaper=The Washington Post|first1=Greg|last1=Miller|first2=Julie|last2=Tate|date=1 September 2011|access-date=16 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131126132531/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/cia-shifts-focus-to-killing-targets/2011/08/30/gIQA7MZGvJ_story.html|archive-date=26 November 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
| strength2         = Unknown
| casualties1       = 9 (CIA personnel)
| casualties2       = c. 2,000–3,500 [[militant (word)|militant]]s killed<ref name="BOIJ">{{cite news|url=https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/category/projects/drones/drones-graphs/|title=The Bureau's complete data sets on drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia|work=[[Bureau of Investigative Journalism]]|date=6 June 2015|access-date=6 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150608135616/https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/category/projects/drones/drones-graphs/|archive-date=8 June 2015|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="Casualties">{{cite web|url=https://www.newamerica.org/in-depth/americas-counterterrorism-wars/pakistan/|title=Drone Wars Pakistan: Analysis|publisher=New America Foundation|access-date=18 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918155803/https://www.newamerica.org/in-depth/americas-counterterrorism-wars/pakistan/|archive-date=18 September 2017|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>[http://www.longwarjournal.org/pakistan-strikes Long War Journal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218080812/http://www.longwarjournal.org/pakistan-strikes.php |date=18 February 2015 }}, "Charting the data for US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004–2018". Retrieved 23 June 2018.</ref>
| casualties3       = {{ubl|'''Civilian deaths:'''<br />158–965
|'''Long War Journal:'''<br />158 civilians killed
|'''New America Foundation''':<br />245–303 civilians killed
|'''Bureau of Investigative Journalism:'''<br />424–969 civilians killed}}
}}
{{War in North-West Pakistan}}
{{Campaignbox US war in Afghanistan}}

Between 2004 and 2018, the [[United States government#Executive branch|United States government]] attacked thousands of targets in northwest [[Pakistan]] using [[unmanned aerial vehicles]] (drones) operated by the [[United States Air Force]] under the operational control of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]]'s [[Special Activities Division]].<ref name="The CIA's Silent War in Pakistan">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1900248,00.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120914063431/http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1900248,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 September 2012|title=The CIA's Silent War in Pakistan|magazine=Time|date=1 June 2009|access-date=16 December 2011|first1=Bobby|last1=Ghosh|first2=Mark|last2=Thompson}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/cia-shifts-focus-to-killing-targets/2011/08/30/gIQA7MZGvJ_story.html|title=CIA shifts focus to killing targets|first1=Greg|last1=Miller|first2=Julie|last2=Tate|date=1 September 2011|access-date=10 December 2017|via=www.WashingtonPost.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131126132531/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/cia-shifts-focus-to-killing-targets/2011/08/30/gIQA7MZGvJ_story.html|archive-date=26 November 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Most of these attacks were on targets in the [[Federally Administered Tribal Areas]] (now part of the [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]] province) along the [[Durand Line|Afghan border]] in northwest Pakistan. These strikes began during the [[George W. Bush administration|administration]] of [[United States President]] [[George W. Bush]], and increased substantially under his successor [[Barack Obama]].<ref name=GregMiller>{{cite news|last=Miller|first=Greg|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/national-security/under-obama-an-emerging-global-apparatus-for-drone-killing/2011/12/13/gIQANPdILP_story.html|title=Under Obama, an emerging global apparatus for drone killing|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=27 December 2011|access-date=8 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120506233717/http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/national-security/under-obama-an-emerging-global-apparatus-for-drone-killing/2011/12/13/gIQANPdILP_story.html|archive-date=6 May 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Some in the media referred to the attacks as a "'''drone war'''".<ref name=afp20July2009>{{cite news|last=De Luce |first=Dan |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iSx0O9rqfroVdyJRvKzbpSTdhemw |title=No let-up in US drone war in Pakistan |agency=Agence France-Presse |date=20 July 2009 |access-date=16 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111215153626/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iSx0O9rqfroVdyJRvKzbpSTdhemw |archive-date=15 December 2011 }}</ref><ref name=naf3June2009>{{cite web|last1=Bergen |first1=Peter |last2=Tiedemann |first2=Katherine |url=http://www.newamerica.net/publications/articles/2009/drone_war_13672 |title=The Drone War |publisher=New America Foundation |date=3 June 2009 |access-date=16 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111206172655/http://www.newamerica.net/publications/articles/2009/drone_war_13672 |archive-date=6 December 2011 }}</ref> The [[George W. Bush administration]] officially denied the extent of its policy; in May 2013, the [[Obama administration]] acknowledged for the first time that four [[Citizenship in the United States|US citizens]] had been killed in the strikes.<ref name=NBC_News>{{cite web|last=Isikoff|first=Michael|url=http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/22/18429089-in-first-public-acknowledgement-holder-says-4-americans-died-in-us-drone-strikes?lite|title=In first public acknowledgement, Holder says 4 Americans died in US drone strikes|work=NBC News|date=23 May 2013|access-date=19 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130725020358/http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/22/18429089-in-first-public-acknowledgement-holder-says-4-americans-died-in-us-drone-strikes?lite|archive-date=25 July 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In December 2013, the National Assembly of Pakistan unanimously approved a resolution against US drone strikes in Pakistan, calling them a violation of "the charter of the United Nations, international laws and humanitarian norms."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1061704 |title=NA unanimously passes resolution against US drone strikes |date=10 December 2013 |access-date=28 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829000213/https://www.dawn.com/news/1061704 |archive-date=29 August 2018 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Pakistan's former Prime Minister, [[Nawaz Sharif]], had repeatedly demanded an end to the strikes, stating: "The use of drones is not only a continual violation of our territorial integrity but also detrimental to our resolve and efforts at eliminating terrorism from our country".<ref name="GulPM">Ayaz Gul, 22 October 2013, "[http://www.voanews.com/content/us-accused-of-unlawful-killings-pakistan-drone-strikes/1774276.html Pakistani PM Urges US to Stop Drone Strikes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023024213/http://www.voanews.com/content/us-accused-of-unlawful-killings-pakistan-drone-strikes/1774276.html |date=23 October 2013 }}", ''Voice of America''. Retrieved 23 October 2013.</ref> However, despite the public opposition of Pakistani officials, multiple former Prime Ministers gave covert permission to the United States to carry out these attacks.<ref>{{cite web |title=Secret memos 'show Pakistan endorsed US drone strikes' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24649840 |website=BBC News |access-date=18 August 2022 |date=24 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Nic Robertson and Greg Botelho |title=Ex-Pakistani leader admits secret deal with U.S. on drone strikes |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/11/world/asia/pakistan-musharraf-drones/index.html |website=CNN |date=11 April 2013 |access-date=18 August 2022}}</ref> The [[Peshawar High Court]] has ruled that the attacks are illegal, inhumane, violate the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]] and constitute a [[war crime]].<ref>Andrew Buncombe, 9 May 2013, "[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/pakistani-court-declares-us-drone-strikes-in-the-countrys-tribal-belt-illegal-8609843.html Pakistani court declares US drone strikes in the country's tribal belt illegal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519045200/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/pakistani-court-declares-us-drone-strikes-in-the-countrys-tribal-belt-illegal-8609843.html |date=19 May 2017 }}", ''The Independent''. Retrieved 23 October 2013.</ref> The [[Obama administration]] disagreed, contending that the attacks did not violate international law and that the method of attack was precise and effective.<ref name="GulPM"/><ref>Seth G. Jones and C. Christine Fair (2010). [https://www.questia.com/read/122625825 ''Counterinsurgency in Pakistan'']{{dead link|date=July 2021}} (Santa Monica, CA: Rand), xi,.</ref> Notable targets of the strikes included [[Baitullah Mehsud]], the leader of the [[Pakistani Taliban]] (killed in a strike in [[South Waziristan]] on 5 August 2009), [[Hakimullah Mehsud]], Mehsud's successor (killed in a strike on 1 November 2013), and [[Akhtar Mansour]], leader of the [[Taliban|Afghan Taliban]] (killed in a strike on 21 May 2016 in Ahmad Wal, Pakistan).

The operations in Pakistan were closely tied to a related drone campaign in Afghanistan, along the same border area. These strikes have killed 3,798–5,059 militants and 161–473 civilians. Among the militant deaths are hundreds of high-level leaders of the Afghan Taliban, the Pakistani Taliban, the Islamic State, Al-Qaeda, the Haqqani Network, and other organizations, with 70 Taliban leaders killed in one ten-day period of May 2017 alone.<ref>[https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/projects/drone-war/afghanistan Drone Strikes in Afghanistan.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624010404/https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/projects/drone-war/afghanistan |date=24 June 2018 }} Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Retrieved 6 March 2019.</ref>

==Overview==
Pakistan's government publicly condemned these attacks.<ref name=nyt11Dec2009>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/12/world/asia/12drone.html|title=Qaeda Planner in Pakistan Killed by Drone|newspaper=The New York Times|date=11 December 2009|access-date=16 December 2011|first1=Mark|last1=Mazzetti|first2=Souad|last2=Mekhennet|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120608082433/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/12/world/asia/12drone.html|archive-date=8 June 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> However, it also allegedly allowed the drones to operate from [[Shamsi Airfield]] in Pakistan until 21 April 2011.<ref name=austrailian19Feb2009>{{cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/pakistan-permits-cia-base-for-strikes/story-e6frg6t6-1111118893683|title=Pakistan allowing CIA to use airbase for drone strikes|newspaper=Australian|date=19 February 2009|access-date=6 December 2011|first=Amanda|last=Hodge|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620114000/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/pakistan-permits-cia-base-for-strikes/story-e6frg6t6-1111118893683|archive-date=20 June 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> According to [[United States diplomatic cables leak|leaked diplomatic cables]], Pakistan's Army Chief [[Ashfaq Parvez Kayani]] not only tacitly agreed to the drone flights, but in 2008 requested that Americans increase them.<ref name=reuters20May2011>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-wikileaks-idUSTRE74J3UV20110520|title=Pakistan army chief sought more drone coverage in '08: Wikileaks|last=Allbritton|first=Chris|date=20 May 2011|access-date=16 December 2011|newspaper=Reuters|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903164622/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/20/us-pakistan-wikileaks-idUSTRE74J3UV20110520|archive-date=3 September 2011|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> However, Pakistan's Interior Minister [[Rehman Malik]] said, "drone missiles cause collateral damage. A few militants are killed, but the majority of victims are innocent citizens."<ref name=hindustan23April2011>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/F-16-jets-knock-down-CIA-drones/Article1-688705.aspx |title=F-16 jets knock down CIA drones|newspaper=Hindustan Times |date=23 April 2011 |access-date=16 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110831181743/http://www.hindustantimes.com/F-16-jets-knock-down-CIA-drones/Article1-688705.aspx |archive-date=31 August 2011 }}</ref> The strikes are often linked to [[anti-American sentiment in Pakistan]] and the growing questionability of the scope and extent of [[CIA activities in Pakistan]].

Reports of the number of militant versus civilian casualties differ.<ref name="C.I.A. Is Disputed">{{cite news|last=Shane|first=Scott|title=C.I.A. Is Disputed on Civilian Toll in Drone Strikes|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/12/world/asia/12drones.html?_r=1|date=11 August 2011|access-date=16 December 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111101001352/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/12/world/asia/12drones.html?_r=1|archive-date=1 November 2011|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In general, the CIA and other American agencies have claimed a high rate of militant killings, relying in part on a disputed estimation method that "counts all military-age males in a strike zone as combatants ... unless there is explicit intelligence posthumously proving them innocent".<ref name="SecretKillList">Jo Becker & Scott Shane, 29 May 2012, "[https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/world/obamas-leadership-in-war-on-al-qaeda.html?_r=0 Secret 'Kill List' Proves a Test of Obama's Principles and Will] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228010804/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/world/obamas-leadership-in-war-on-al-qaeda.html?_r=0 |date=28 February 2017 }}", ''The New York Times''. Retrieved 23 October 2013.</ref> For instance, the CIA has claimed that strikes conducted between May 2010 and August 2011 killed over 600 militants without any civilian fatalities, a claim that many have disputed.<ref name="C.I.A. Is Disputed"/> The [[New America Foundation]] has estimated that 80 percent of those killed in the attacks were militants.<ref name="The Economist">{{cite news|title=Out of the blue|url=http://www.economist.com/node/21524916|date=30 July 2011|access-date=16 December 2011|newspaper=The Economist|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111215041027/http://www.economist.com/node/21524916|archive-date=15 December 2011|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> On the other hand, several experts have stated that in reality, far fewer militants and many more civilians have been killed. In a 2009 opinion article, Daniel L. Byman of the [[Brookings Institution]] wrote that [[unmanned combat air vehicle|drone strikes]] may have killed "10 or so civilians" for every militant that they killed.<ref name="brookings1">{{cite web|first=Daniel|last=Byman|url=http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2009/0714_targeted_killings_byman.aspx?|archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160521070958/http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2009/0714_targeted_killings_byman.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 May 2016|title=Do Targeted Killings Work?|publisher=Brookings Institution|date=14 July 2009|access-date=16 December 2011|quote=Critics correctly find many problems with this program, most of all the number of civilian casualties the strikes have incurred. Sourcing on civilian deaths is weak and the numbers are often exaggerated, but more than 600 civilians are likely to have died from the attacks. That number suggests that for every militant killed, 10 or so civilians also died.}}</ref> The Pakistani military has stated that most of those killed were Al-Qaeda and [[Taliban]] militants.<ref name="dawn20110309">{{cite news|url=http://www.dawn.com/2011/03/09/most-of-those-killed-in-drone-attacks-were-terrorists-military.html|title=Most of those killed in drone attacks were terrorists: military|last=Sherazi|first=Zahir Shah|date=9 March 2011|access-date=16 December 2011|newspaper=Dawn|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111223182954/http://www.dawn.com/2011/03/09/most-of-those-killed-in-drone-attacks-were-terrorists-military.html|archive-date=23 December 2011|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The [[Bureau of Investigative Journalism]] found that 423 to 965 civilians were killed out of a total of 2,497 to 3,999 including 172 to 207 children. The Bureau also claimed that since Obama took office at least 50 civilians were killed in follow-up strikes when they had gone to help victims and more than 20 civilians have also been attacked in strikes on funerals and mourners, a practice condemned by legal experts.<ref name="thebureauinvestigates.comRescuers">{{cite news|url=http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2012/02/04/obama-terror-drones-cia-tactics-in-pakistan-include-targeting-rescuers-and-funerals/|title=Obama terror drones: CIA tactics in Pakistan include targeting rescuers and funerals|first1=Chris|last1=Woods|first2=Christina|last2=Lamb|date=4 February 2012|access-date=7 February 2012|work=Bureau of Investigative Journalism|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207130806/http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2012/02/04/obama-terror-drones-cia-tactics-in-pakistan-include-targeting-rescuers-and-funerals/|archive-date=7 February 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2011/08/11/more-than-160-children-killed-in-us-strikes/|title=Over 160 children reported among drone deaths|first=Chris|last=Woods|date=11 August 2011|access-date=27 December 2011|work=Bureau of Investigative Journalism|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106182545/http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2011/08/11/more-than-160-children-killed-in-us-strikes/|archive-date=6 January 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="thebureauinvestigates.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2011/08/10/most-complete-picture-yet-of-cia-drone-strikes/|title=Drone War Exposed – the complete picture of CIA strikes in Pakistan|last=Woods|first=Chris|date=10 August 2011|access-date=16 December 2011|work=Bureau of Investigative Journalism|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111217051724/http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2011/08/10/most-complete-picture-yet-of-cia-drone-strikes/|archive-date=17 December 2011|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Barbara Elias-Sanborn has also claimed that, "as much of the literature on drones suggests, such killings usually harden militants' determination to fight, stalling any potential negotiations and settlement."<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/137077/barbara-elias-sanborn/the-pakistani-talibans-coming-divide|last=Elias-Sanborn|first=Barbara|date=2 February 2012|title=The Pakistani Taliban's Coming Divide|journal=Foreign Affairs|access-date=13 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310114133/http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/137077/barbara-elias-sanborn/the-pakistani-talibans-coming-divide|archive-date=10 March 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> However, analysis by the [[RAND Corporation]] suggests that "drone strikes are associated with decreases in the incidence and lethality of terrorist attacks" in Pakistan.<ref>Johnston, Patrick B., and Anoop Sarbahi, [http://patrickjohnston.info/materials/drones.pdf The Impact of U.S. Drone Strikes on Terrorism in Pakistan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030153538/http://patrickjohnston.info/materials/drones.pdf |date=30 October 2012 }}, [[RAND Corporation]], 25 February 2012.</ref>

A motive that the [[2010 Times Square car bombing attempt|2010 Times Square car bomber]] [[Faisal Shahzad]] stated was the repeated CIA drone attacks in Pakistan, his native country.<ref>[https://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/08/nation/la-na-bomb-motive-20100508 Bomb motive] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517180336/http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/08/nation/la-na-bomb-motive-20100508 |date=17 May 2013 }}, ''Los Angeles Times'' 8 May 2010.</ref>

Drone strikes were halted in November 2011 after NATO forces killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in the [[Salala incident]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Ken Dilanian|url=https://articles.latimes.com/2011/dec/23/world/la-fg-pakistan-cia-drone-20111224|title=CIA has suspended drone attacks in Pakistan, U.S. officials say|work=Los Angeles Times|date=2011-12-23|access-date=2013-06-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617084622/http://articles.latimes.com/2011/dec/23/world/la-fg-pakistan-cia-drone-20111224|archive-date=17 June 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Shamsi Airfield was evacuated of Americans and taken over by the Pakistanis December 2011.<ref name="Shamsi Airfield taken by FC">{{cite news|title=Pak forces take control of Shamsi airbase|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/pak-forces-take-control-of-shamsi-airbase/210683-56.html|newspaper=IBNLive|date=10 December 2011|access-date=7 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120108224133/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/pak-forces-take-control-of-shamsi-airbase/210683-56.html|archive-date=8 January 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The incident prompted an approximately two-month stop to the drone strikes, which resumed on 10 January 2012.

In March 2013, [[Ben Emmerson]], the [[United Nations Special Rapporteur]], led a U.N. team that looked into civilian casualties from the U.S. drone attacks, and stated that the attacks are a violation of the sovereignty of Pakistan. Emmerson said government officials from the country clearly stated Pakistan does not agree to the drone attacks, which is contradicted by U.S. officials.<ref>{{cite news|title=UN says US drones violate Pakistan's sovereignty |url=http://www.chron.com/news/world/article/UN-says-US-drones-violate-Pakistan-s-sovereignty-4356752.php |newspaper=The Houston Chronicle |date=15 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130321015705/http://www.chron.com/news/world/article/UN-says-US-drones-violate-Pakistan-s-sovereignty-4356752.php |archive-date=21 March 2013}}</ref> In October 2013, [[Amnesty International]] brought out a detailed study of the impact of drone strikes that strongly condemned the strikes. The report stated that the number of arbitrary civilian deaths, the tactics used (such as follow-up attacks targeting individuals helping the wounded) and the violation of Pakistani sovereignty meant that some of the strikes could be considered as unlawful executions and war crimes.<ref>{{cite web|last=Amnesty International|title="Will I be next?" US Drone Strikes in Pakistan|url=http://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/asa330132013en.pdf|publisher=Amnesty International Publications|access-date=22 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023120339/http://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/asa330132013en.pdf|archive-date=23 October 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In May 2014, the targeted killing program was described as "basically over," with no attack having occurred since December 2013. The lull in attacks coincided with a new Obama Administration policy requiring a "near certainty" that civilians would not be harmed, requests from lawmakers that the drone program be brought under operational control of the Department of Defense<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://reason.com/2013/03/09/mccain-are-you-a-wacko-bird-like-rand-pa/|title=McCain: Are You a "Wacko Bird" Like Rand Paul, Justin Amash, and Ted Cruz?|date=2013-03-09|website=Reason.com|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-06}}</ref> (for better congressional oversight), a [[Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan|reduced]] US military and [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] presence in [[Afghanistan]], a reduced [[al-Qaida]] presence in Pakistan, and an increased military role (at the expense of the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]) in the execution of drone strikes.<ref name=ZBeauchamp>{{cite news|last=Beauchamp|first=Zack|title=The drone war may be over in Pakistan|url=https://www.vox.com/2014/5/29/5761634/has-america-stopped-killing-pakistanis-with-drones|access-date=29 May 2014|newspaper=Vox|date=29 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140530042448/http://www.vox.com/2014/5/29/5761634/has-america-stopped-killing-pakistanis-with-drones|archive-date=30 May 2014|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name=KDilianian>{{cite news|last=Dilanian |first=Ken |title=CIA Winds Down Drone Strike Program in Pakistan|url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/cia-drone-strike-program-pakistan-winding-down |access-date=29 May 2014 |newspaper=AP |date=29 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140530043633/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/cia-drone-strike-program-pakistan-winding-down |archive-date=30 May 2014 }}</ref>

==Statistics==
{{See also|List of drone strikes in Pakistan|List of Taliban fatality reports in Pakistan}}
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:right; width:350px;"
|+ U.S. drone strike statistics estimate,<br />according to the [[New America Foundation]]<br />(as of 1 January 2018):<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newamerica.org/in-depth/americas-counterterrorism-wars/pakistan/|title=Drone Strikes: Pakistan|website=New America|access-date=10 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171101205448/https://www.newamerica.org/in-depth/americas-counterterrorism-wars/pakistan/|archive-date=1 November 2017|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
! rowspan=2|Year
! rowspan=2|Attacks
! colspan=4|Casualties
|-
! Militants
! Civilians
! Unknown
! Total
|-
!2004
|1||3||2||2||7
|-
!2005
|3||5||6||4||15
|-
!2006
|2||1||93||0||94
|-
!2007
|4||51||0||12||63
|-
!2008
|36||223||28||47||298
|-
!2009
|54||387||70||92||549
|-
!2010
|122||788||16||45||849
|-
!2011
|70||415||62||35||512
|-
!2012
|48||268||5||33||306
|-
!2013
|26||145||4||4||153
|-
!2014
|22||145||0||0||145
|-
!2015
|10||57||0||0||57
|-
!2016
|3||9||0||0||9
|-
!2017
|8||36||2||1||39

|- style="background:#f2f2f2;"
! Total
|'''409'''
|'''2,533'''
|'''288'''
|'''275'''
|'''3,096'''
|}

The [[Bureau of Investigative Journalism]] estimates the following cumulative statistics about U.S. drone strikes (as of 17 September 2017):<ref name="BOIJ"/>
* Total strikes: 429
* Total killed: 2,514 – 4,023
* Civilians killed: 424 – 969
* Children killed: 172 – 207
* Injured: 1,162 – 1,749
* Strikes under the [[Presidency of George W. Bush|Bush Administration]]: 51
* Strikes under the [[Obama Administration]]: 373
* Strikes under the [[Presidency of Donald Trump|Trump Administration]]: 5
* 84 of the 2,379 dead have been identified as members of al-Qaeda<ref>{{cite web|last1=Serle|first1=Jack|title=Only 4% of drone victims in Pakistan named as al Qaeda members|url=http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/namingthedead/only-4-of-drone-victims-in-pakistan-named-as-al-qaeda-members/?lang=en|publisher=The Bureau of Investigative Journalism|access-date=20 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019223717/http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/namingthedead/only-4-of-drone-victims-in-pakistan-named-as-al-qaeda-members/?lang=en|archive-date=19 October 2014|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

A formerly classified Pakistani government report obtained in July 2013 by the BIJ shows details of 75 drone strikes that occurred between 2006 and 2009. According to the 12-page report, in this period, 176 of the 746 reported dead were civilians.<ref>Woods, Chris "[http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2013/07/22/exclusive-leaked-pakistani-report-confirms-high-civilian-death-toll-in-cia-drone-strikes/ Leaked Pakistani report confirms high civilian death toll in CIA drone strikes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728175848/http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2013/07/22/exclusive-leaked-pakistani-report-confirms-high-civilian-death-toll-in-cia-drone-strikes/ |date=28 July 2013 }}" ''Bureau of Investigative Journalism''. 22 July 2013.</ref> According to the Long War Journal, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, and the New America Foundation, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 had some of the highest [[civilian casualty ratio]]s of any years.

==U.S. viewpoint==
{{See also|Targeted killing|Disposition Matrix}}
U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] vastly accelerated the drone strikes during the final year of his presidency.{{Citation needed|reason=The next source simply lists drone strikes in late 2007 through 2008 with no comparison to the number of drone strikes in prior years.|date=October 2014}} A list of the high-ranking victims of the drones was provided to Pakistan in 2009.<ref>[http://www.dawn.com/2009/02/09/top4.htm Drone strikes killed high-value targets, US tells Pakistan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212134817/http://dawn.com/2009/02/09/top4.htm |date=12 February 2009 }}, [[Dawn (newspaper)]], 9 February 2009</ref> Bush's successor, President Obama, broadened attacks to include targets against groups considered to be seeking to destabilize Pakistani civilian government; the attacks of 14 and 16 February 2009 were against training camps run by [[Baitullah Mehsud]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/washington/21policy.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090409221924/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/washington/21policy.html|date=9 April 2009}} Obama Widens Missile Strikes Inside Pakistan, ''The New York Times,'' 21 February 2009; same story at [http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090222/jsp/foreign/story_10572730.jsp] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202221237/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090222/jsp/foreign/story_10572730.jsp|date=2 December 2013}} "Obama widens Pak strikes – Attacks target Mehsud camps," ''The Telegraph'' of Calcutta, 22 February 2009</ref> On 25 February 2009 [[Leon Panetta]], the director of the CIA, indicated the strikes will continue.<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/26/america/cia.php Panetta indicates strikes will continue in Pakistan] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302050444/http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/26/america/cia.php |date=2 March 2009 }}, [[International Herald Tribune]], 26 February 2009</ref> On 4 March 2009 ''[[The Washington Times]]'' reported that the drones were targeting Baitullah Mehsud.<ref>[http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/mar/04/us-takes-fight-to-taliban-leader/ U.S. takes fight to Taliban leader] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305065235/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/mar/04/us-takes-fight-to-taliban-leader/ |date=5 March 2009 }}, [[The Washington Times]], 4 March 2009</ref> Obama was reported in March 2009 as considering expanding these strikes to include [[Balochistan (Pakistan)|Balochistan]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/world/asia/18terror.html U.S. Weighs Taliban Strike Into Pakistan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427181938/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/world/asia/18terror.html |date=27 April 2017 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', 17 March 2009</ref>

The US government cited the inability of states to control and keep track of terrorist activities as a characteristic of a [[failed state]], represented by the lack of military and governmental control in Pakistan's [[Federally Administered Tribal Areas]], and was operating within the states' right of self-defense according to Article 51 in [[Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter]]. In President Obama's 2013 speech at the National Defense University, he stated "we act against terrorists who pose a continuing and imminent threat to the American people, and when there are no other governments capable of effectively addressing the threat".<ref>{{cite journal|title=The United States Covert War in Pakistan: Drone Strikes an Infringement on National Sovereignty|journal=Journal of Applied Environmental and Biological Sciences|year=2014|last1=Khalil|first1=Jehanzeb|last2=Perveen|first2=Saima|volume=4|issue=8|pages=209–215}}</ref>

On 25 March 2010 US State Department legal advisor [[Harold Koh]] stated that the drone strikes were legal because of the right to self-defense. According to Koh, the US is involved in an armed conflict with al Qaeda, the Taliban, and their affiliates and therefore may use force consistent with self-defense under international law.<ref>[[Agence France-Presse]], "U.S. offers argument for drone strikes", ''[[Japan Times]]'', 28 March 2010, page 1.</ref>

Former CIA officials state that the agency uses a careful screening process in making decisions on which individuals to kill via drone strikes. The process, carried out at the agency's counterterrorist center, involves up to 10 lawyers who write briefs justifying the targeting of specific individuals. According to the former officials, if a brief's argument is weak, the request to target the individual is denied.<ref name="newsweek1">McKelvey, Tara, "[http://www.newsweek.com/2011/02/13/inside-the-killing-machine.html Inside the Killing Machine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110216220130/http://www.newsweek.com/2011/02/13/inside-the-killing-machine.html |date=16 February 2011 }}", ''[[Newsweek]]'', 13 February 2011.</ref> Since 2008 the CIA has relied less on its list of individuals and increasingly targeted "signatures," or suspect behavior. This change in tactics has resulted in fewer deaths of high-value targets and in more deaths of lower-level fighters, or "mere foot soldiers" as the one senior Pakistani official told ''The Washington Post''.<ref name="wapo20110221">{{cite news|first=Greg|last=Miller|title=Increased U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan killing few high-value militants|date=21 February 2011|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/20/AR2011022002975.html?sid=ST2011022104355|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=25 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629033234/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/20/AR2011022002975.html?sid=ST2011022104355|archive-date=29 June 2011|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Signature strikes there must be supported by two sources of corroborating intelligence. Sources of intelligence include information from a communication intercept, a sighting of militant training camps or intelligence from CIA assets on the ground.<ref>[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-glyn-williams/nside-the-murky-world-of-_b_3367780.html Inside the Murky World of 'Signature Strikes' and the Killing of Americans With Drones by Brian Glyn Williams] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322013957/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-glyn-williams/nside-the-murky-world-of-_b_3367780.html |date=22 March 2014 }} The Huffington Post</ref> "Signature targeting" has been the source of controversy. Drone critics argue that regular citizen behaviors can easily be mistaken for militant signatures.

US officials stated in March 2009 that the [[General Atomics MQ-1 Predator|Predator]] strikes had killed nine of al Qaeda's 20 top commanders. The officials added that many top Taliban and al Qaeda leaders, as a result of the strikes, had fled to [[Quetta]] or even further to [[Karachi]].<ref>Sanger, David E., and Eric Schmitt, "U.S. Weighs Taliban Strike Into Pakistan", ''[[The New York Times]]'', 18 March 2009, page 1.</ref>

Some US politicians and academics have condemned the drone strikes. [[US Congress]]man [[Dennis Kucinich]] asserted that the United States was violating [[international law]] by carrying out strikes against a country that never attacked the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/2008/09/14/top17.htm|title=US warned against sending troops to Pakistan: Congressman terms Bush's decision an election issue -DAWN – Top Stories; September&nbsp;14,&nbsp;2008|work=Dawn|date=14 September 2008|location=Pakistan|access-date=27 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101024134553/http://www.dawn.com/2008/09/14/top17.htm|archive-date=24 October 2010|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> [[Georgetown University]] professor [[Gary D. Solis]] asserts that since the drone operators at the CIA are civilians directly engaged in armed conflict, this makes them "unlawful combatants" and possibly subject to prosecution.<ref name="newsweek1"/>

US military reports asserted that [[al Qaeda]] is being slowly but systematically routed because of these attacks, and that they have served to sow the seeds of uncertainty and discord among their ranks. They also claimed that the drone attacks have addled and confused the [[Taliban]], and have led them to turn against each other.<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pakistan-predator22-2009mar22,0,1530442,full.story U.S. missile strikes take heavy toll on al Qaeda, officials say] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090324033720/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pakistan-predator22-2009mar22,0,1530442,full.story |date=24 March 2009 }}, the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', 22 March 2009</ref> In July 2009 it was reported that (according to US officials) [[Osama bin Laden]]'s son [[Saad bin Laden]] was believed to have been killed in a drone attack earlier in the year.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8164763.stm Bin Laden son 'probably killed'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090726084930/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8164763.stm |date=26 July 2009 }}, [[BBC]], 23 July 2009</ref>

During a protest against drone attacks, in an event sponsored by [[Nevada Desert Experience]], Father [[Louie Vitale]], [[Kathy Kelly]], Stephen Kelly (SJ), [[Eve Tetaz]], [[John Dear]], and others were arrested outside [[Creech Air Force Base]] on Wednesday 9 April 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vcnv.org/resisting-the-afghanistan-pakistan-war |title=Resisting the Afghanistan – Pakistan War |publisher=Voices for Creative Nonviolence |date=10 April 2009 |access-date=27 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110407101527/http://vcnv.org/resisting-the-afghanistan-pakistan-war |archive-date=7 April 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nevadadesertexperience.org/issues/2009/ground_the_drones.htm|title=Ground the Drones|publisher=Nevadadesertexperience.org|access-date=27 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110310183026/http://www.nevadadesertexperience.org/issues/2009/ground_the_drones.htm|archive-date=10 March 2011|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In May 2009 it was reported that the US was sharing drone intelligence with Pakistan.<ref>[http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-05-14-voa64.cfm US Shares Drone Intelligence with Pakistan, But No Joint Control] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090516193454/http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-05-14-voa64.cfm |date=16 May 2009 }}, [[Voice of America]], 14 May 2009</ref> [[Leon Panetta]] reiterated on 19 May 2009 that the US intended to continue the drone attacks.<ref>[http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/11-cia-chief-says-drones-minimise-collateral-damage--07 Drone attacks to continue in Pakistan: CIA chief] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090522103627/http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/11-cia-chief-says-drones-minimise-collateral-damage--07 |date=22 May 2009 }}, [[Dawn (newspaper)]], 19 May 2009</ref>

In December 2009 expansion of the drone attacks was authorized by [[Barack Obama]] to parallel the decision to send 30,000 more American troops to Afghanistan.<ref name=NYT20091204>[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/04/world/asia/04drones.html C.I.A. to Expand Use of Drones in Pakistan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228010913/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/04/world/asia/04drones.html |date=28 February 2017 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', 3 December 2009</ref> Senior US officials are reportedly pushing for extending the strikes into [[Quetta]] in [[Balochistan (Pakistan)|Balochistan]] against the [[Quetta Shura]].<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-us-pakistan14-2009dec14,0,3617313,full.story Drone attacks may be expanded in Pakistan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091215054852/http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-us-pakistan14-2009dec14,0,3617313,full.story |date=15 December 2009 }}, ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', 14 December 2009</ref> Speaking at a news conference in [[Islamabad]] on 7 January 2010 Senators [[John McCain]] and [[Joe Lieberman]] stated the drone attacks were effective and would continue but stated that US would make greater efforts to prevent [[collateral damage]].<ref>[http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/14-drone-attacks-will-continue-in-pakistan-mccain-zj-05 US senators defend drone attacks] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111073749/http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/14-drone-attacks-will-continue-in-pakistan-mccain-zj-05 |date=11 January 2010 }}, [[Dawn (newspaper)]], 8 January 2010</ref> In an effort to strengthen trust with Pakistan "US sharing drone surveillance data with Pakistan", said [[Mike Mullen]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/5326126/US-sharing-drone-surveillance-data-with-Pakistan-says-Mike-Mullen.html|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|title=US sharing drone surveillance data with Pakistan, says Mike Mullen, The United States has taken the unprecedented step of sharing with Islamabad surveillance data collected by drones flying along over Pakistan, the top US military officer said on Thursday.|date=14 May 2009|access-date=1 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100606050242/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/5326126/US-sharing-drone-surveillance-data-with-Pakistan-says-Mike-Mullen.html|archive-date=6 June 2010|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
US defence budget for 2011 asked for a 75% increase in funds to enhance the drone operations.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100204212845/http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/13+us-plans-75pc-increase-in-drone-operations-320-za-05 US plans 75pc increase in drone operations], [[Dawn (newspaper)]], 3 February 2010</ref>

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|quote = Compare Mr. Obama's use of drone strikes with that of his predecessor. During the Bush administration, there was an American drone attack in Pakistan every 43 days; during the first two years of the Obama administration, there was a drone strike there every four days.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bergen|first=Peter|date=26 April 2012|title=Warrior in Chief|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/opinion/sunday/president-obama-warrior-in-chief.html|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=1 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120430194405/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/opinion/sunday/president-obama-warrior-in-chief.html|archive-date=30 April 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
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The [[Associated Press]] (AP) noted that Barack Obama apparently expanded the scope and increased the aggressiveness of the drone campaign against militants in Pakistan after taking office. According to the news agency, the US increased strikes against the Pakistani Taliban, which earned favor from the Pakistani government, resulting in increased cooperation from Pakistani intelligence services. Also, the Obama administration toned down the US government's public rhetoric against [[Islamic terrorism]], garnering better cooperation from other Islamic governments. Furthermore, with the drawdown of the war in Iraq, more drones, support personnel, and intelligence assets became available for the campaigns in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Since Obama took office, according to the AP, the number of drones operated by the CIA over Afghanistan and Pakistan doubled.<ref>Apuzzo, Matt, ([[Associated Press]]), "Obama strategy widens assault on Pakistani, Afghan militants", 12 February 2010.</ref>

According to some current and former counterterrorism officials, the Obama administration's increase in the use of drone strikes is an unintended consequence of the president's executive orders banning secret CIA detention centers and his attempt to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, and capturing prisoners has become a "less viable option".<ref>Entous, Adam, [https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64H5SL20100518 "Special Report: How the White House learned to love the drone"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110120225800/http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64H5SL20100518 |date=20 January 2011 }}, ''[[Reuters]]'', 18 May 2010.</ref> Senator [[Saxby Chambliss]] of Georgia alleged that, "Their policy is to take out high-value targets, versus capturing high-value targets ... They are not going to advertise that, but that's what they are doing." Obama's aides argued that it is often impossible to capture targets in the tribal areas of Pakistan and Yemen, and that other targets are in foreign custody thanks to American tips. Obama's counter-terrorism adviser, [[John O. Brennan]], said that, "The purpose of these actions is to mitigate threats to U.S. persons' lives", and continued, "It is the option of last recourse. So the president, and I think all of us here, don't like the fact that people have to die. And so he wants to make sure that we go through a rigorous checklist: The infeasibility of capture, the certainty of the intelligence base, the imminence of the threat, all of these things." In response to the concerns about the number of killings, Jeh C. Johnson stated, "We have to be vigilant to avoid a no-quarter, or take-no-prisoners policy."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/world/obamas-leadership-in-war-on-al-qaeda.html|title=Secret 'Kill List' Tests Obama's Principles|first1=Jo|last1=Becker|first2=Scott|last2=Shane|newspaper=The New York Times|date=29 May 2012|access-date=10 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209123329/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/world/obamas-leadership-in-war-on-al-qaeda.html|archive-date=9 December 2017|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

A study called "The Year of the Drone" published in February 2010 by the [[New America Foundation]] found that from a total of 114 drone strikes in Pakistan between 2004 and early 2010, between 834 and 1,216 individuals had been killed. About two thirds of these were thought to be militants and one third were civilians.<ref name="Casualties"/>

On 28 April 2011, U.S. President [[Barack Obama]] appointed General [[David Petraeus]] as director of the [[CIA]] overseeing the drone attacks. According to Pakistani and American officials this could further inflame relations between the two nations.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/29/world/29petraeus.html|work=The New York Times|first1=Jane|last1=Perlez|first2=Eric|last2=Schmitt|title=Petraeus Appointment Could Inflame Relations With Pakistan|date=28 April 2011|access-date=24 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827164139/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/29/world/29petraeus.html|archive-date=27 August 2017|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

According to ''[[The Washington Post]]'', as of September 2011, around 30 Predator and Reaper drones were operating under CIA direction in the Afghanistan/Pakistan area of operations. The drones are flown by [[United States Air Force]] pilots located at an unnamed base in the United States. US Department of Defense armed drones, which also sometimes take part in strikes on terrorist targets, are flown by US Air Force pilots located at [[Creech Air Force Base]] and [[Holloman Air Force Base]]. The CIA drones are operated by an office called the Pakistan-Afghanistan Department, which operates under the CIA's Counterterrorism Center (CTC), based at CIA's headquarters in Langley, Virginia. As of September 2011, the CTC had about 2,000 people on staff.<ref name=wapo1Sept2011/><ref>Barnes, Julian E., "U.S. Expands Drone Flights To Take Aim At East Africa", ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', 21 September 2011, page 1.</ref>

US President Obama affirmed on 30 January 2012 that the US was conducting drone strikes in Pakistan. He stressed that civilian casualties in the strikes were low.<ref>Ländler, Mark, "Civilian Deaths Due To Drones Are Not Many, Obama Says", ''[[The New York Times]]'', 31 January 2012, page 6.</ref> In a February 2012 poll of 1,000 US adults, 83% of them (77% of the liberal Democrats) replied they support the drone strikes.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/poll-finds-broad-support-for-obamas-counterterrorism-policies/2012/02/07/gIQAFrSEyQ_story.html|title=Poll finds broad support for Obama's counterterrorism policies|publisher=Amnesty International|first1=Scott|last1=Wilson|first2=Jon|last2=Cohen|date=8 February 2012|access-date=8 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209024130/http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/poll-finds-broad-support-for-obamas-counterterrorism-policies/2012/02/07/gIQAFrSEyQ_story.html|archive-date=9 February 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The Obama administration offered its first extensive explanation on drone-strike policy in April 2012, concluding that it was "legal, ethical and wise".<ref name="ChSa 30Apr2012">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/01/world/obamas-counterterrorism-aide-defends-drone-strikes.html|title=Top U.S. Security Official Says 'Rigorous Standards' Are Used for Drone Strikes|last=Savage|first=Charlie|date=30 April 2012|work=The New York Times|access-date=1 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501014514/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/01/world/obamas-counterterrorism-aide-defends-drone-strikes.html|archive-date=1 May 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The CIA's general counsel, Stephen Preston, in a speech entitled "CIA and the Rule of Law" at Harvard Law School on 10 April 2012, claimed the agency was not bound by the laws of war; in response, Human Rights Watch called for the strike program to be brought under the control of the US military.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/04/20/us-transfer-cia-drone-strikes-military|title=US: Transfer CIA Drone Strikes to Military|date=20 April 2012|publisher=Human Rights Watch|access-date=11 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505010558/http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/04/20/us-transfer-cia-drone-strikes-military|archive-date=5 May 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In May, the US began stepping up drone attacks after talks at the NATO summit in Chicago did not lead to the progress it desired regarding Pakistan's continued closure of its Afghan borders to the alliance's supply convoys.<ref name="Crilly 28May2012">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/9294628/US-steps-up-drone-attacks-in-Pakistan-after-convoy-talks-fail.html|last=Crilly|first=Bob|date=28 May 2012|title=US steps up drone attacks in Pakistan after convoy talks fail|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=28 May 2012|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530195727/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/9294628/US-steps-up-drone-attacks-in-Pakistan-after-convoy-talks-fail.html|archive-date=30 May 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

[[File:Stop Killer Drones (15836463196).jpg|thumb|[[Minneapolis]] anti-war protest: 'Stop Killer Drones', 5 May 2013]]
In 2013, the sustained and growing criticism of his drone policy forced Obama to announce stricter conditions on executing drone strikes abroad, including an unspoken plan to partly shift the program from the CIA to the ostensibly more accountable Pentagon,<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Michael Crowley|date=30 May 2013|title=Why Gitmo Will Never Close|url=http://swampland.time.com/2013/05/30/why-gitmo-will-never-close|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|swampland.time.com]]|access-date=30 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602144055/http://swampland.time.com/2013/05/30/why-gitmo-will-never-close/|archive-date=2 June 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In anticipation of his speech, Obama instructed Attorney General [[Eric Holder]] to divulge that four U.S. citizens had been killed by drones since 2009, and that only one of those men had been intentionally targeted.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jdjournal.com/2013/05/23/obama-orders-release-of-admission-that-drones-have-killed-4-u-s-citizens-since-2009/|title=Obama Orders Release of Admission that Drones Have Killed 4 U.S. Citizens Since 2009|author=Daniel June|date=23 May 2013|work=JD Journal}}</ref> Following Obama's announcement, the United Nations' drone investigator, British lawyer Ben Emmerson, made clear his expectation of a "significant reduction" in the number of strikes over the 18 months to follow,<ref>{{cite news|author=Spencer Ackerman|author-link=Spencer Ackerman|date=7 June 2013|title=UN drone investigator expecting 'dramatic' decrease in US strikes|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/07/us-drone-strikes-dramatic-decrease|newspaper=[[The Guardian|guardian.co.uk]]|access-date=8 June 2013|quote='Within a period of about 18 months, the majority of drone operations will be conducted by the military, rather than by any other branch of the government,' Emmerson said.|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911104659/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/07/us-drone-strikes-dramatic-decrease|archive-date=11 September 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> although the period immediately after Obama's speech was "business as usual".<ref>{{cite news|author=Glenn Greenwald|author-link=Glenn Greenwald|date=2 June 2013|title=Drone attacks continue, the FBI killed an unarmed witness, and Obama aides cash in|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/02/drones-obama-yemen-pakistan-todashev|newspaper=[[The Guardian|guardian.co.uk]]|access-date=2 June 2013|quote=A mere six days after President Obama's much heralded terrorism speech, a US drone fired a missile in Pakistan that killed four people. On Saturday, another US drone killed seven people, this time in Yemen. There was some debate about whether Obama's speech really heralded a more restrictive standard for drone use; the early results, though not dispositive, seem to suggest it is business as usual.|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130807095722/http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/02/drones-obama-yemen-pakistan-todashev|archive-date=7 August 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}<p>{{Cite news|author=Saud Mehsud|date=8 June 2012|title=Angry Pakistan summons envoy after U.S. drone strike kills nine|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-drone-idUSBRE95707520130608|work=[[Reuters]]|access-date=8 June 2013|quote=A U.S. drone strike killed nine people in northwest Pakistan, security officials said, prompting newly sworn-in Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to summon America's envoy on Saturday to protest against such attacks.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608151438/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/08/us-pakistan-drone-idUSBRE95707520130608|archive-date=8 June 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Six months later, the CIA was still carrying out the "vast majority" of drone strikes.<ref>{{cite news|last=Miller|first=Greg|date=25 November 2013|title=CIA remains behind most drone strikes, despite effort to shift campaign to Defense|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/cia-remains-behind-most-drone-strikes-despite-effort-to-shift-campaign-to-defense/2013/11/25/c0c07a86-5386-11e3-a7f0-b790929232e1_story.html|newspaper=[[The Washington Post|washingtonpost.com]]|access-date=28 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131128135941/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/cia-remains-behind-most-drone-strikes-despite-effort-to-shift-campaign-to-defense/2013/11/25/c0c07a86-5386-11e3-a7f0-b790929232e1_story.html|archive-date=28 November 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> However, no attack has occurred since December 2013, and the drone war was described as "basically over" in May 2014.<ref name=ZBeauchamp/>

At Senator [[Dianne Feinstein]]'s insistence, beginning in early 2010 staffs of the [[United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence]] and [[United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence]] have begun reviewing each CIA drone strike. The staff members hold monthly meetings with CIA personnel involved with the drone campaign, review videos of each strike, and attempt to confirm that the strike was executed properly.<ref>Dilanian, Ken, "Congress Zooms In On Drone Killings", ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', 25 June 2012, page 1</ref>

One of the leading critics of drones in the US Congress is Senator [[Rand Paul]]. In 2013, he performed a thirteen-hour filibuster to try to achieve a public admission from U.S. President Obama that he could not kill an American citizen with a drone on American soil, who was not actively engaged in combat. Attorney General Eric Holder responded soon after, confirming that the president had no authority to use drones for this purpose.

[https://web.archive.org/web/20131203100447/http://polisci.columbia.edu/people/profile/319 Eric M. Blanchard], assistant professor of political science at Columbia University, notes that, "the use of drones reflects several on-going historical military developments that, in turn, reflect the culture and values of American society."<ref>{{cite book|last=Blanchard|first=Eric M.|title=The technoscience question in feminist IR|year=2011|publisher=Taylor and Francis Group|location=London|page=155}}</ref> In this, he alludes to technological idealism (the pursuit of a "decisive" technology to end war) and the need to seize the moral high ground, by delivering more "humane" approaches to warfare. Military support for the drones remains strong for a host of reasons: expansion of battlespace, extension of an individual soldiers capabilities, and a reduction of American casualties.<ref>{{cite book|last=Blanchard|title=The technoscience question in feminist IR|page=156}}</ref> Support has also been noted across the political spectrum as focus in the Middle East shifted from [[Stabilization (warfare)|stabilization]] in Afghanistan to antiterrorist strikes aimed at al-Qaeda leadership in Pakistan.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

Blanchard also points to a shift in how gender is viewed in terms of warfare with the advent of technology in place of human soldiers. Fighters often represent an idealized masculinity, portraying strength, bravery, and chivalry, but during the Gulf War of 1990–91 the focus had changed. The computer programmers, missile technologists, high-tech pilots, and other servicemen who were centred around technology were now the focal point of news coverage, removing the warrior-soldier from the conversation.<ref name="Blanchard 160">{{cite book|last=Blanchard|title=The technoscience question in feminist IR|page=160}}</ref>

==Pakistani position==
[[File:Image said to be Predator drone aircraft at Shamsi Airbase in Pakistan -- no longer available on Google Earth..jpg|thumb|[[Shamsi airbase]] in 2006, reported to show three Predator drones<ref name="FoxNews2009-02-19">
{{Cite news
|url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/02/19/google-image-shows-base-pakistan/
|title=Official Confirms U.S. Using Pakistan Base to Launch Attacks
|date=19 February 2009
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|access-date=2 July 2009
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|archive-date=21 February 2009
}}</ref>]]

For at least some of the initial drone strikes, in 2004 and 2005, the U.S. operated with the approval and cooperation<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rashid |first1=Ahmed |title=Pakistan in the Brink |date=2012 |publisher=Allen Lane |isbn=9781846145858 |page=54}}</ref> of Pakistan's ISI. Former Pakistani President [[Pervez Musharraf]] told ''[[The New Yorker]]'' in 2014 that he allowed the CIA to fly drones within Pakistan and that in exchange the U.S. supplied helicopters and night-vision equipment to the Pakistanis. Musharraf wanted the drones to operate under Pakistani control, but the U.S. wouldn't allow it.<ref>[https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/11/24/unblinking-stare The Unblinking Stare] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141126163413/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/11/24/unblinking-stare |date=26 November 2014 }} ''The New Yorker'', 24 November 2014.</ref>

Pakistan has repeatedly protested these attacks as an infringement of its [[sovereignty]] and because civilian deaths have also resulted, including women and children, which has further angered the Pakistani government and people.<ref name="ChSa 30Apr2012"/><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7738966.stm Pakistan protest to US ambassador] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081128195614/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7738966.stm |date=28 November 2008 }}, [[BBC]], 20 November 2008</ref><ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/1507895/Pakistan-fury-as-CIA-airstrike-on-village-kills-18.html Pakistan fury as CIA airstrike on village kills 18] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919025004/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/1507895/Pakistan-fury-as-CIA-airstrike-on-village-kills-18.html |date=19 September 2018 }}, [[The Daily Telegraph]] 16 January 2006</ref><ref>[http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2008/09/2008985226998512.html Civilian deaths in Pakistan attack] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014010333/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2008/09/2008985226998512.html |date=14 October 2008 }}, [[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]], 8 September 2008</ref> General [[David Petraeus]] was told in November 2008 that these strikes were unhelpful.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/world/asia/04pstan.html Petraeus, in Pakistan, Hears Complaints About Missile Strikes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211082033/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/world/asia/04pstan.html |date=11 February 2017 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', 4 November 2008</ref> However, on 4 October 2008 ''[[The Washington Post]]'' reported that there was a secret deal between the U.S. and Pakistan allowing these drone attacks.<ref name=WP1>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/03/AR2008110302638.html A Quiet Deal With Pakistan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107092057/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/03/AR2008110302638.html |date=7 November 2017 }}, [[The Washington Post]], 4 October 2008</ref> [[US Senator]] [[Dianne Feinstein]] said in February 2009: "As I understand it, these are flown out of a Pakistani base."<ref>[http://www.dawn.com/2009/02/14/top2.htm U.S. official says drones using Pakistan base] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090217092129/http://dawn.com/2009/02/14/top2.htm |date=17 February 2009 }}, [[Dawn (newspaper)]], 14 February 2009</ref> Pakistani foreign minister [[Shah Mehmood Qureshi]] denied that this was true.<ref>[http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009%5C02%5C16%5Cstory_16-2-2009_pg7_4 Pakistani bases not being used for drone attacks: FM], [[Daily Times (Pakistan)]], 16 February 2009 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813012322/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009%5C02%5C16%5Cstory_16-2-2009_pg7_4 |date=13 August 2009 }}</ref>

The drone attacks continue, despite repeated requests made by ex-[[Pakistani President]] [[Asif Ali Zardari]] through different channels.<ref>[http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20090082266 Share intelligence, stop drone attacks: Zardari to US] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205100513/http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20090082266 |date=5 February 2009 }}, [[NDTV]] 2 February 2009</ref><ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/us-drone-strikes-in-pakistan-hours-after-sovereignty-pledge-934247.html US drone strikes in Pakistan hours after sovereignty pledge] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325061117/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/us-drone-strikes-in-pakistan-hours-after-sovereignty-pledge-934247.html |date=25 March 2017 }}, [[The Independent]], 18 September 2008</ref> [[Baitullah Mehsud]] of [[Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan]], while claiming responsibility for the [[2009 Lahore police academy attacks]], stated that they were acting in retaliation for the drone attacks.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7973540.stm Lahore 'was Pakistan Taleban op'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090401012007/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7973540.stm |date=1 April 2009 }}, [[BBC]], 31 March 2009</ref> According to ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', [[Pakistani intelligence]] has agreed to secretly provide information to the United States on Mehsud's and his militants' whereabouts while publicly the Pakistani government will continue to condemn the attacks.<ref>Wilkinson, Isambard, "Pakistan 'Helps US Drone Attacks'", ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', 4 April 2009.</ref>

On 28 April 2009 Pakistan's consul general to the US, Aqil Nadeem, asked the US to hand over control of its drones in Pakistan to his government. "Do we want to lose the war on terror or do we want to keep those weapons classified? If the American government insists on our true cooperation, then they should also be helping us in fighting those terrorists", said Said Nadeem.<ref>Christenson, Sig, "[http://mobile.mysa.com/articles/191351293 Pakistani: U.S. Should Cede Control Of Drones] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090812203844/http://mobile.mysa.com/articles/191351293 |date=12 August 2009 }}", ''[[San Antonio Express-News]]'', 29 April 2009.</ref> Pakistan President Zardari has also requested that Pakistan be given control over the drones, but this has been rejected by the US who are worried that Pakistanis will leak information about targets to militants.<ref name=NYT0516>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/world/asia/17pstan.html|title=25 Militants Are Killed in Attack in Pakistan|newspaper=The New York Times|date=17 May 2009|access-date=22 December 2011|first=Pir Zubair|last=Shah|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120609011951/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/world/asia/17pstan.html|archive-date=9 June 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In December 2009 Pakistan's Defence minister [[Ahmad Mukhtar]] acknowledged that Americans were using Shamsi Airfield but stated that Pakistan was not satisfied with payments for using the facility.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20091213140342/http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/13+us+forces+using+shamsi+airbase+in+balochistan-za-02 US forces using Shamsi airbase in Balochistan], [[Dawn (newspaper)]], 12 December 2009</ref>

In December 2010 the CIA's Station Chief in Islamabad operating under the alias Jonathan Banks was hastily pulled from the country.<ref>Walsh, Declan,[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/dec/17/cia-chief-pakistan-drone-cover CIA chief in Pakistan leaves after drone trial blows his cover] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208013642/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/dec/17/cia-chief-pakistan-drone-cover |date=8 February 2017 }} The Guardian, 17 December 2010.</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/20120908093357/http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/pakistani-journalist-execution-cia-chief/Pakistani Journalist Calls for Death Penalty for CIA Station Chief] Raw Story, 17 December 2010.</ref> Lawsuits filed by families of victims of drone strikes had named Banks as a defendant, he had been receiving death threats, and a Pakistani journalist whose brother and son died in a drone strike called for prosecuting Banks for murder.<ref>Walsh, Declan, [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/dec/13/pakistan-journalist-sues-cia-drone-strike?INTCMP=SRCH Pakistani journalist sues CIA for drone strike that killed relatives] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305010627/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/dec/13/pakistan-journalist-sues-cia-drone-strike?INTCMP=SRCH |date=5 March 2017 }} Guardian, 13 December 2010</ref><ref>Mazzetti, Mark [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/18/world/asia/18pstan.html?hp Pakistani Role Is Suspected in Revealing U.S. Spy's Name] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301100954/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/18/world/asia/18pstan.html?hp |date=1 March 2017 }} New York Times, 17 December 2010.</ref>

In March 2011 the [[General Officer Commanding]] of [[7th Infantry Division (Pakistan)|7th division]] of [[Pakistan Army|Pakistani Army]], Major General Ghayur Mehmood delivered a briefing "Myths and rumours about US predator strikes" in Miramshah. He said that most of those who were killed by the drone strikes were Al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorists. Military's official paper on the attacks till 7 March 2011 said that between 2007 and 2011 about 164 predator strikes had been carried out and over 964 terrorists had been killed. Those killed included 793 locals and 171 foreigners. The foreigners included Arabs, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Chechens, Filipinos and Moroccans.<ref name="dawn20110309"/> This is disputed. Other sources say that as of July 2011, 250 drone strikes have killed 1500–2300 people, of which only 33 were estimated to be terrorist leaders.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rashid |first1=Ahmed |title=Pakistan in the Brink |date=2012 |publisher=Allen Lane |isbn=9781846145858 |page=55}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1= Peter Bergen |first1=and Katherine Tiedemann |title=Washington's Phantom War: The Effects of the U.S. Drone Program in Pakistan |journal=Foreign Affairs |volume=July–August 2011}}</ref>

On 9 December 2011, Pakistan's Army Chief [[Ashfaq Parvez Kayani]] issued a directive to shoot down US drones. A senior Pakistani military official said, "Any object entering into our air space, including U.S. drones, will be treated as hostile and be shot down."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/10/9352886-pakistan-says-us-drones-in-its-air-space-will-be-shot-down |title=Pakistan says U.S. drones in its air space will be shot down |date=10 December 2011 |access-date=29 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111212032204/http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/10/9352886-pakistan-says-us-drones-in-its-air-space-will-be-shot-down |archive-date=12 December 2011 }}</ref>

The daily Indian newspaper [[The Hindu]] reported that Pakistan reached a secret agreement with United States to readmit the attacks of guided airplanes on its soil. According to a high western official linked with the negotiations, the pact was signed by ISI chief Lieutenant General Shuja Ahmad Pasha, and the director of the Central Intelligence Agency general David Petraeus during a meeting in Qatar January 2012. According to The Hindu, Lieutenant General Pasha also agreed to enlarge the CIA presence in Shahbaz air base, near the city of Abbottabad, where Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was killed in May 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2929240.ece|title=In secret deal, ISI allows U.S. drone war to resume|author=The Hindu|date=25 February 2012|access-date=25 September 2012|location=Chennai, India|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120720123126/http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2929240.ece|archive-date=20 July 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

According to unnamed US government officials, beginning in early 2011 the US would fax notifications to Pakistan's [[Inter-Services Intelligence]] agency (ISI) detailing the dates and general areas of future drone attack operations. The ISI would send a return fax acknowledging receipt, but not approving the operation. Nevertheless, it appeared that Pakistan would clear the airspace over the area and on the dates designated in the US fax. After the May 2011 [[Death of Osama bin Laden|raid that killed bin Laden]], the ISI ceased acknowledging the US faxes, but Pakistani authorities have appeared to continue clearing the airspace in the areas where US drones are operating. According to an unnamed Pakistani government official, the Pakistan government believes that the US sends the faxes primarily to support legal justification for the drone attacks.<ref>Entous, Adam, "U.S. Unease Over Drone Strikes", ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', 26 September 2012, page 1</ref>

In May 2013, a Pakistani court ruled that CIA drone strikes in Pakistan were illegal. A Peshawar High Court judge said the Pakistani government must end drone strikes, using force if needed.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pakistani court rules CIA drone strikes are illegal|url=http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2013/05/09/pakistani-court-rules-cia-drone-strikes-are-illegal-and-war-crimes/|access-date=10 July 2013|work=Bureau of Investigative Journalism|date=9 May 2013|author=Ross, Alice K|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723172811/http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2013/05/09/pakistani-court-rules-cia-drone-strikes-are-illegal-and-war-crimes/|archive-date=23 July 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Also at that time, an International Crisis Group report concluded that drone strikes were an "ineffective" way of combating militants in Pakistan.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Eline Gordts|date=21 May 2013|title=U.S. Drone Strikes Ineffective Solution To Combat Militants In Pakistan's Tribal Areas, Report Says|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/21/us-drone-strikes-ineffective_n_3313407.html|newspaper=[[The Huffington Post]]|access-date=8 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130612170049/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/21/us-drone-strikes-ineffective_n_3313407.html|archive-date=12 June 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> A week later, the Pakistani Taliban withdrew an offer of peace talks after a drone strike killed their deputy leader.<ref>{{cite news|author1=Rasool Dawar |author2=Rebecca Santana |date=30 May 2013 |title=The Pakistani Taliban withdrew their offer of peace talks Thursday, following the death of the group's deputy leader in an American drone attack |url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/intel-officials-pakistan-taliban-no-2-buried |agency=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=8 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407180600/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/intel-officials-pakistan-taliban-no-2-buried |archive-date=7 April 2014 }}</ref> The Pakistani Taliban's threat to "teach a lesson" to the US and Pakistan, after the aggressive American rejection of peace talks, resulted in the shooting of 10 foreign mountain climbers,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/30/pakistan-bombings-quetta-peshawar-waziristan|title=Pakistan bombings kill at least 49|agency=Associated Press|work=guardian.co.uk|date=30 June 2013|location=London|access-date=11 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160922213628/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/30/pakistan-bombings-quetta-peshawar-waziristan|archive-date=22 September 2016|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> as well as a mis-targeted bomb killing fourteen civilians, including four children, instead of security forces in Peshawar at the end of June 2013.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-blast-idUSBRE95T06R20130630|author=Jibran Ahmed|author2=Matthew Green, Jeremy Laurence|title=Blast in Pakistani city of Peshawar kills 14|agency=reuters.com|access-date=30 June 2013|work=Reuters|date=30 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703181854/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/30/us-pakistan-blast-idUSBRE95T06R20130630|archive-date=3 July 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In early June, it was reported that the CIA did not even know who it was killing in some drone strikes.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Richard Engel|author2=Robert Windrem|date=5 June 2013|title=EXCLUSIVE: CIA didn't always know who it was killing in drone strikes, classified documents show|url=http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/05/18781930-exclusive-cia-didnt-always-know-who-it-was-killing-in-drone-strikes-classified-documents-show|work=[[NBC News]]|access-date=8 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609022456/http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/05/18781930-exclusive-cia-didnt-always-know-who-it-was-killing-in-drone-strikes-classified-documents-show|archive-date=9 June 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> A few days later, the freshly elected Pakistani Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, called for an end to drone strikes in his country.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif urges end to US drone strikes|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22779669|work=BBC News|date=5 June 2013|access-date=8 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608023725/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22779669|archive-date=8 June 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Not long after, a US strike killed another nine people, an act that prompted Sharif to summon the US chargé d'affaires in protest and to demand, again, an "immediate halt" to the Anglo-American drone program.<ref>{{cite news|author=Saud Mehsud|date=8 June 2012|title=Angry Pakistan summons envoy after U.S. drone strike kills nine|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-drone-idUSBRE95707520130608|work=[[Reuters]]|access-date=8 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608151438/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/08/us-pakistan-drone-idUSBRE95707520130608|archive-date=8 June 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In July 2013, it was reported that the US had drastically scaled back drone attacks in order to appease the Pakistani military, which was under growing pressure to move to end American "airspace violations". The CIA was instructed to be more "cautious" and limit the drone strikes to high-value targets, to cut down on so-called signature strikes (attacks that target a group of militants based purely on their behavior). Pakistani military officials had earlier stated that these drone attacks cannot continue at the tempo they are going at, and that civilian casualties in these strikes are spawning more militants.<ref>{{cite web|title=US scales back drone attacks in Pakistan|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/582200/us-scales-back-drone-attacks-in-pakistan-report/|access-date=26 July 2013|work=[[The Express Tribune]]|date=26 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130727202926/http://tribune.com.pk/story/582200/us-scales-back-drone-attacks-in-pakistan-report/|archive-date=27 July 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

On 1 November 2013, the US killed [[Hakimullah Mehsud]].<ref>{{Cite news|author=Saud Mehsud|date=8 November 2013|title=Taliban plan wave of revenge attacks in Pakistan|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-pakistan-taliban-idUKBRE9A705I20131108|access-date=8 November 2013|work=[[Reuters]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109014136/http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/11/08/uk-pakistan-taliban-idUKBRE9A705I20131108|archive-date=9 November 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The expressions of anger in Pakistan about the continuance of drone strikes peaked again at the end of November as a [[Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf|political party]] announced publicly the alleged name of the CIA's station chief in Islamabad, and called for them and CIA director [[John O. Brennan|John Brennan]] to be tried for murder.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Shahzad|first=Asif|last2=Abbot|first2=Sebastian|date=27 November 2013|title=Pakistani Party Turns up Heat on CIA Drone Strikes|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/pakistani-party-reveals-cia-station-chief-21027966|agency=[[Associated Press]]|access-date=28 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211045219/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/pakistani-party-reveals-cia-station-chief-21027966|archive-date=11 December 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

After a six-month break, June 2014 saw a drone strike kill 13 people; the attack was again condemned by Pakistan as a violation of its sovereignty.<ref>{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|date=12 June 2014|title=Pakistan: 13 killed as U.S. resumes drone strike campaign|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/12/pakistan-us-drone-strikes|work=[[theguardian.com]]|access-date=14 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140614080917/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/12/pakistan-us-drone-strikes|archive-date=14 June 2014|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> A month later, in July 2014, a similar attack which killed six militants was again criticized by the Pakistani government, particularly as it had just launched an offensive against militants in the area where the strike occurred.<ref name="DronePakistan">{{cite news|title=American drone attack kills suspected militants in Pakistan|url=http://www.southeastasianews.net/index.php/sid/223696011/scat/bf053b50c46383e0/ht/American-drone-attack-kills-suspected-militants-in-Pakistan|access-date=10 July 2014|publisher=Southeast Asia News.Net|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714111444/http://www.southeastasianews.net/index.php/sid/223696011/scat/bf053b50c46383e0/ht/American-drone-attack-kills-suspected-militants-in-Pakistan|archive-date=14 July 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

On 16 July 2014, Pakistan conducted a drone attack in [[North Waziristan]] killing militants.<ref>{{cite news|title=Drone attack in Pakistan, 35 militants killed |url=http://www.patrika.com/news/drone-attack-in-pakistan-15-militants-killed/1018136 |access-date=17 July 2014 |work=Patrika Group |date=16 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720053218/http://www.patrika.com/news/drone-attack-in-pakistan-15-militants-killed/1018136 |archive-date=20 July 2014 }}</ref>

==Media reporting from other countries==
The British newspaper ''[[The Times]]'' stated on 18 February 2009 that the CIA was using Pakistan's [[Shamsi Airfield]], {{convert|190|mi|km}} southwest of [[Quetta]] and {{convert|30|mi|km}} from the Afghan border, as its base for drone operations. Safar Khan, a journalist based in the area near Shamsi, told the ''Times'', "We can see the planes flying from the base. The area around the base is a high-security zone and no one is allowed there."<ref name="TheTimes2009-02-18">{{Cite news
 |url             = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5755490.ece
 |title           = Secrecy And Denial As Pakistan Lets CIA Use Airbase To Strike Militants
 |date            = 18 February 2009
 |page            = 1
 |author1         = Coghlan, Tom
 |author2         = Zahid Hussain
 |author3         = Jeremy Page
 |name-list-style=amp|work            = The Times
 |access-date      = 2 July 2009
 |location        = London
 |archive-url     = https://web.archive.org/web/20090507160328/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5755490.ece
 |archive-date    = 7 May 2009
 |url-status        = live
 |df              = dmy-all
}}</ref>

Top US officials confirmed to [[Fox News Channel]] that Shamsi Airfield had been used by the CIA to launch the drones since 2002.<ref name="FoxNews2009-02-19"/>

==Al Qaeda response==
Messages recovered from [[Osama bin Laden]]'s home after [[Death of Osama bin Laden|his death]] in 2011, including one from then al Qaeda No. 3, [[Atiyah Abd al-Rahman]] reportedly, according to the [[Agence France-Presse]] and ''[[The Washington Post]]'', expressed frustration with the drone strikes in Pakistan. According to an unnamed U.S. government official, in his message al-Rahman complained that drone-launched missiles were killing al Qaeda operatives faster than they could be replaced.<ref>[[Agence France-Presse]]/[[Jiji Press]], "Bin Laden was trying to rebuild drone-decimated terror network", ''[[Japan Times]]'', 3 July 2011, page 1.</ref><ref>Miller, Greg, "Bin Laden Files Show Al-Qaeda Under Pressure", ''[[The Washington Post]]'', 2 July 2011, page 1.</ref>

In June and July 2011, law enforcement authorities found messages on al Qaeda-linked websites calling for attacks against executives of drone aircraft manufacturer [[AeroVironment]]. Law enforcement believed that the messages were in response to calls for action against Americans by [[Adam Yahiye Gadahn]].<ref>Winton, Richard, [https://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/02/local/la-me-threats-20110702 "Al Qaeda-Linked Website Threatens Monrovia Company That Makes Military Drones"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110705130501/http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/02/local/la-me-threats-20110702 |date=5 July 2011 }}, ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', 2 July 2011.</ref>

==United Nations human rights concerns==
On 3 June 2009, the [[United Nations Human Rights Council]] (UNHRC) delivered a report sharply critical of US tactics. The report asserted that the US government has failed to keep track of civilian casualties of its military operations, including the drone attacks, and to provide means for citizens of affected nations to obtain information about the casualties and any legal inquests regarding them.<ref name="cnn_un_probe">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/06/04/drone.attacks/|title=U.N. envoy calls for probe into U.S. drone attacks|publisher=CNN|date=4 June 2009|access-date=24 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090607064521/http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/06/04/drone.attacks/|archive-date=7 June 2009|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Any such information held by the U.S. military is allegedly inaccessible to the public due to the high level of secrecy surrounding the drone attacks program.<ref name="harpers_secrecy">{{cite news|last=Silverstein|first=Ken|url=http://www.harpers.org/archive/2009/06/hbc-90005193|title=Is Secrecy on Drone Attacks Hiding Civilian Casualties?|work=[[Harper's Magazine]]|date=12 June 2009|access-date=24 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090618112100/http://harpers.org/archive/2009/06/hbc-90005193|archive-date=18 June 2009|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The US representative at UNHRC has argued that the UN investigator for extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions does not have jurisdiction over US military actions,<ref name="cnn_un_probe"/> while another US diplomat claimed that the US military is investigating any wrongdoing and doing all it can to furnish information about the deaths.<ref name="reuters_un_probe">{{cite news|last=MacInnis|first=Laura|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL31016477|title=UN envoy seeks more U.S. openness on war deaths|work=[[Reuters]]|date=3 June 2009|access-date=1 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608154541/http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL31016477|archive-date=8 June 2009|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

On 27 October 2009 UNHRC investigator [[Philip Alston]] called on the US to demonstrate that it was not randomly killing people in violation of international law through its use of drones on the Afghan border. Alston criticized the US's refusal to respond to date to the UN's concerns. Said Alston, "Otherwise you have the really problematic bottom line, which is that the Central Intelligence Agency is running a program that is killing significant numbers of people and there is absolutely no accountability in terms of the relevant international laws."<ref>{{cite news|agency=Reuters|title=U.S. Use of Drones Queried by U.N.|work=The New York Times|date=28 October 2009|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/world/28nations.html|access-date=24 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127090917/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/world/28nations.html|archive-date=27 January 2018|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

On 2 June 2010 Alston's team released a report on its investigation into the drone strikes, criticizing the United States for being "the most prolific user of [[targeted killings]]" in the world. Alston, however, acknowledged that the drone attacks may be justified under the right to self-defense. He called on the US to be more open about the program. Alston's report was submitted to the [[United Nations Commission on Human Rights]] the following day.<ref>{{cite news|last=Cloud|first=David, S.|title=U.N. report faults prolific use of drone strikes by U.S.|work=Los Angeles Times|date=3 June 2010|url=https://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/03/world/la-fg-cia-drones-20100603|access-date=8 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127003617/http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/03/world/la-fg-cia-drones-20100603|archive-date=27 January 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

On 7 June 2012, after a four-day visit to Pakistan, [[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights|UN High Commissioner for Human Rights]] [[Navanethem Pillay|Navi Pillay]] called for a new investigation into US drone strikes in Pakistan, repeatedly referring to the attacks as "indiscriminate," and said that the attacks constitute human rights violations.<ref>{{cite news|title=UN wants investigation into drone attacks inside Pakistan|agency=Agence France-Presse|date=7 June 2012|url=http://dawn.com/2012/06/07/un-wants-investigation-into-drone-attacks-in-pakistan/|access-date=8 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120608110125/http://dawn.com/2012/06/07/un-wants-investigation-into-drone-attacks-in-pakistan/|archive-date=8 June 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In a report issued on 18 June 2012, Christof Heyns, U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, called on the Obama administration to justify its use of targeted assassinations rather than attempting to capture al Qaeda or Taliban suspects.<ref>Nebehay, Stephanie, "U.N. Investigator Decries U.S. Use Of Killer Drones", ''[[Reuters]]'', 19 June 2012 (wire service report)</ref>

==Reactions from people in Pakistan==
According to a report by researchers at [[Stanford University|Stanford]] and [[New York University]] law schools in 2012, civilians in Waziristan interviewed for the report believed "that the US actively seeks to kill them simply for being Muslims, viewing the drone campaign as a part of a religious crusade against Islam."<ref name=lud>{{cite web |url=http://www.livingunderdrones.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Stanford-NYU-Living-Under-Drones.pdf |title=Living Under Drones: Death, Injury and Trauma to Civilians from US Drone Practices in Pakistan |author1=International Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Clinic, Stanford Law School |author2=Global Justice Clinic, NYU School of Law |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030191454/http://livingunderdrones.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Stanford_NYU_LIVING_UNDER_DRONES.pdf |date=September 2012 |archive-date=30 October 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all |access-date=8 March 2014 }}</ref> Many professionals working in Waziristan believe that drone strikes encourage terrorism.<ref name=lud/> The report notes similar conclusions reached by reporters for ''[[Der Spiegel]]'', ''[[The New York Times]]'' and [[CNN]].<ref name=lud/>

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According to ongoing surveys of public opinion conducted by the [[New America Foundation]], 9 out of 10 of civilians in Waziristan "oppose the U.S. military pursuing al-Qaeda and the Taliban" and nearly 70% "want the Pakistani military alone to fight Taliban and al-Qaeda militants in the tribal areas."<ref name=naf2>{{cite web|last=Bergen|first=Peter|title=Drone Strikes: Do you support or oppose United States military drone strikes by air inside FATA today?|url=http://pakistansurvey.org/question/drone-strikes|publisher=New America Foundation|access-date=17 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121027060040/http://pakistansurvey.org/question/drone-strikes|archive-date=27 October 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

According to a public opinion survey conducted between November 2008 and January 2009 by the Pakistani [[Aryana Institute for Regional Research and Advocacy]], approximately half of the respondents considered drone strikes in [[Federally Administered Tribal Areas]] accurate and approximately the same number of respondents said that the strikes did not lead to anti-American sentiment and were effective in damaging the militants.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.airra.org/newsandanalysis/droneattacksurvey.php |title=Aryana Institute for Regional Research and Advocacy |publisher=AIRRA |date=2009-03-05 |access-date=2013-06-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120807030801/http://www.airra.org/newsandanalysis/droneattacksurvey.php |archive-date=7 August 2012 }}</ref> The researchers concluded that "the popular notion outside the Pakhtun belt that a large majority of the local population supports the Taliban movement lacks substance."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=165781 |title=Drone attacks – a survey |access-date=2009-03-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090312040744/http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=165781 |archive-date=12 March 2009 |df=dmy-all }}, [[The News International]], 5 March 2009</ref> According to Farhat Taj a member of AIRRA the drones have never killed any civilians. Some people in Waziristan compare the drones to Ababils, the holy swallows sent by Allah to avenge [[Abraha]], the invader of the Khana Kaaba.<ref>[http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\story_30-1-2010_pg3_5 analysis: Dangerous abyss of perceptions – Farhat Taj], [[Daily Times (Pakistan)]], 30 January 2010  {{Cite web |url=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010%5C01%5C30%5Cstory_30-1-2010_pg3_5 |title=Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan |access-date=14 September 2017 |archive-date=2 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100202031439/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010%5C01%5C30%5Cstory_30-1-2010_pg3_5 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> [[Irfan Husain]], writing in ''[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]'', agreed called for more drone attacks: "We need to wake up to the reality that the enemy has grown very strong in the years we temporized and tried to do deals with them. Clearly, we need allies in this fight. Howling at the moon is not going to get us the cooperation we so desperately need. A solid case can be made for more drone attacks, not less."<ref name="Howling at the moon">[http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/columnists/14-irfan-husain-howling-at-the-moon-910-zj-11 Howling at the moon] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111055336/http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/columnists/14-irfan-husain-howling-at-the-moon-910-zj-11 |date=11 January 2010 }}, [[Dawn (newspaper)]], 9 January 2010</ref> In October 2013, the [[The Economist|Economist]] found support among locals for the drone attacks as protection against the militants, claiming no civilians were killed this year.<ref name=Econ131019>{{cite news|title=Drop the pilot|url=https://www.economist.com/news/asia/21588142-surprising-number-pakistanis-are-favour-drone-strikes-drop-pilot|access-date=24 October 2013|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|date=19 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024013812/http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21588142-surprising-number-pakistanis-are-favour-drone-strikes-drop-pilot|archive-date=24 October 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' has reported that in North Waziristan a militant group called Khorasan Mujahedin targets people suspected of being informants. According to the report, the group kidnaps people from an area suspected of selling information that led to the strike, tortures and usually kills them, and sells videotapes of killings in street markets as warnings to others.<ref>Rodriguez, Alex, [https://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pakistan-death-squads-20111228,0,3614850.story "Death Squads Target Informants"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111230030751/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pakistan-death-squads-20111228,0,3614850.story |date=30 December 2011 }}, ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', 29 December 2011, page 1.</ref>

[[Imran Khan]], chairman [[Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf]] political party in Pakistan, announced a Peace March to [[South Waziristan]] on 6–7 October 2012 to create global awareness about innocent civilian deaths in US drone attacks. He proposed to take a rally of 100,000 people from [[Islamabad]] to South Waziristan. The South Waziristan administration denied the group permission for the rally on the grounds that they can not provide security,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dawn.com/2012/10/02/pti-denied-permission-for-s-waziristan-rally/|title=PTI denied permission for S. Waziristan rally|date=2012-10-02|publisher=Dawn.com|access-date=2013-06-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329080431/http://dawn.com/2012/10/02/pti-denied-permission-for-s-waziristan-rally/|archive-date=29 March 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> but PTI has maintained that they will go ahead with the Peace March. Many International human rights activists and NGOs have shown their support to the Peace March, with former US colonel [[Ann Wright]] and [[Reprieve (organisation)|British NGO Reprieve]] joining the Peace March. [[Pakistani Taliban]] have agreed to not attack the Peace rally and offered to provide security for the rally.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/9579223/Pakistan-Taliban-offers-Imran-Khan-protection.html|title=Pakistani Taliban offers Imran Khan security|last=Crilly|first=Rob|date=1 October 2012|access-date=2013-06-09|publisher=Telegraph.co.uk|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004001644/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/9579223/Pakistan-Taliban-offers-Imran-Khan-protection.html|archive-date=4 October 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

A 2014 study in ''Political Science Quarterly'' and a 2015 study in the ''Journal of Strategic Studies'' disputes that drone strikes are a major source of anger for Pakistanis.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.psqonline.org/article.cfm?IDArticle=19202|title=Political Science Quarterly: Spring 2014: Pakistani Opposition to American Drone Strikes|website=www.psqonline.org|language=en|access-date=2018-05-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205194738/http://www.psqonline.org/article.cfm?IDArticle=19202|archive-date=5 December 2017|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|date=2015|title=Pakistani Political Communication and Public Opinion on US Drone Attacks|journal=Journal of Strategic Studies|volume=38|issue=6|pages=852–872|doi=10.1080/01402390.2014.997932|last1=Fair|first1=C. Christine|last2=Kaltenthaler|first2=Karl|last3=Miller|first3=William|s2cid=154468062}}</ref>

==Aftermath==
===Results===
The strikes led to the deaths of some 2,000 to 3,500 militants from various organizations (Pakistani Taliban, Afghan Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Haqqani Network, etc.), of which at least 75 were high-level leaders. These have included the head (emir) of the Afghan Taliban, multiple heads of the Pakistani Taliban, the deputy commander of the Pakistani Taliban, the top commander of the Haqqani Network, and the deputy commander of [[al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newamerica.org/in-depth/americas-counterterrorism-wars/pakistan/ |title=The Drone War in Pakistan |website=www.newamerica.org |access-date=27 August 2021}}</ref>

According to a quantitative analysis on drone strikes in Pakistan conducted by Stanford University postdoctoral fellows Asfandyar Mir and Dylan Moore, "the drone strike program was associated with monthly reductions of around 9–13 insurgent attacks and 51–86 casualties in the area affected by the program. This change was sizable as in the year before the program the affected area experienced around 21 attacks and 100 casualties per month. Additional quantitative and qualitative evidence suggests that this drop is attributable to the drone program." In addition to the actual damage dealt, drone strikes changed "the insurgents' perception of the risk", and caused them "to avoid targeting, severely compromising their movement and communication abilities."<ref>Mir, Asfandyar. Moore, Dylan. "Drones, Surveillance, and Violence: Theory and Evidence from a US Drone Program." International Studies Quarterly. 13 December 2018.</ref> Another quantitative study, published in ''International Studies Quarterly'' by Stanford fellow Anoop K. Sarbahi, found that "drone strikes are associated with decreases in the incidence and lethality of terrorist attacks, as well as decreases in selective targeting of tribal elders" based on "detailed data on US drone strikes and terrorism in Pakistan from 2007–2011."<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://academic.oup.com/isq/article/60/2/203/1750218|title=The Impact of US Drone Strikes on Terrorism in Pakistan|first1=Patrick B.|last1=Johnston|first2=Anoop K.|last2=Sarbahi|date=1 June 2016|journal=International Studies Quarterly|volume=60|issue=2|pages=203–219|via=academic.oup.com|doi=10.1093/isq/sqv004}}</ref>

However, according to analysis by the [[Oxford Research Group]], although the drone strikes reduced terrorist activity in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas they increased the amount of terrorist attacks in Pakistani cities such as [[Karachi]], where the militant groups relocated to avoid the drones.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Aslam |first1=Wali |title=Terrorist relocation and the societal consequences of US drone strikes in Pakistan |journal=Remote Control Project |date=June 2014 |url=https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/publications/terrorist-relocation-and-the-societal-consequences-of-us-drone-st |access-date=19 August 2022 |language=English}}</ref>

The impact of drone strikes on local attitudes has also been studied. Political scientist and [[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace|Carnegie Endowment]] fellow Aquil Shah conducted one such study in 2018 for the journal ''International Security'', based on interview and survey data from Pakistan (n=167), which Shah claims provides a more complete and accurate view than opposing points "based primarily on anecdotal evidence, unreliable media reports, and advocacy-driven research." Shah's study found that there was "little or no evidence [in the data] that drone strikes have a significant impact on militant Islamist recruitment either locally or nationally. Rather, the data reveals the importance of factors such as political and economic grievances, the Pakistani state's selective counterterrorism policies, its indiscriminate repression of the local population, and forced recruitment of youth by militant groups." The study also extended to trial testimony and accounts of domestic Islamic terrorists in the United States and Europe. In their case, there was "scant evidence that drone strikes are the main cause of militant Islamism. Instead, factors that matter include a transnational Islamic identity's appeal to young immigrants with conflicted identities, state immigration and integration policies that marginalize Muslim communities, the influence of peers and social networks, and online exposure to violent jihadist ideologies."<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Do U.S. Drone Strikes Cause Blowback? Evidence from Pakistan and Beyond|first=Aqil|last=Shah|date=1 May 2018|journal=International Security|volume=42|issue=4|pages=47–84|doi=10.1162/isec_a_00312|s2cid=57571553|doi-access=free}}</ref> An earlier survey in 2016 focusing specifically on the [[North Waziristan]] region (n=148), the region most affected by the Taliban insurgency, showed similar results. Over 79 percent of those polled supported the U.S. drone strikes, 56 percent believed that "the drones seldom killed non-militants", and more than 66 percent believed "most of the non-militant civilians who die in drone attacks are known militant collaborators who may already be radicalized." Additionally, the majority of respondents agreed that the drone campaign decisively broke the back of the [[Pakistani Taliban]] in the region. A student from the town of Mir Ali explained local sentiment: "When the government left us at the mercy of the cruel Taliban, we used to feel utterly helpless and cower in fear. Since nobody seemed concerned with our plight, the drones were the closest thing to getting your prayers answered."<ref>Shah, Aqil. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/05/17/drone-blow-back-in-pakistan-is-a-myth-heres-why/ "Drone blow back in Pakistan is a myth: here's why."] The Washington Post. 17 May 2016.</ref>

In documents captured from Osama bin Laden's compound on Abbottabad, the Al-Qaeda leader talked extensively about American drones (referred to as "spy planes"), citing them as the chief threat to Al-Qaeda and its allies. He stated that "over the last two years, the problem of the spying war and spying aircrafts &#91;sic&#93; benefited the enemy greatly and led to the killing of many jihadi cadres, leaders, and others. This is something that is concerning us and exhausting us." He also advised his men, as well as their affiliates in Somalia, to avoid cars, as American drones had been targeting them, and to "benefit from the art of gathering and dispersion experience, as well as movement, night and day transportation, camouflage, and other techniques related to war tricks."<ref>"Drones in the Abbottabad Documents." Center for the Study of the Drone. 25 March 2016. Accessed 9 March 2019.</ref>

Paranoia over being targeted by drone strikes has led to wide-scale executions of suspected spies by Taliban agents in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas region, including the creation of a special task force Lashkar al Khorasan for this purpose in North Waziristan. This has extended to the Pakistani Taliban publicly executing dozens of local car mechanics whom they accused of bugging their trucks and cars. Vehicles are particularly preferred as targets by the CIA because the drones could see who entered the vehicles and target them when they were driving in isolated areas.<ref>WILLIAMS, BRIAN GLYN. "Who Is Being Killed in the Drone Strikes?" In Predators: The CIA's Drone War on Al Qaeda, 89–120. Pages 107, 110. University of Nebraska Press, 2013. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1ddr6sf.12.</ref>

===Civilian casualties===
{{See also|Civilian casualties from US drone strikes}}
According to unnamed counterterrorism officials, in 2009 or 2010 CIA drones began employing smaller missiles in airstrikes in Pakistan in order to reduce civilian casualties. The new missiles, called the [[Small Smart Weapon]] or Scorpion, are reportedly about the size of a violin case (21&nbsp;inches long) and weigh 16&nbsp;kg. The missiles are used in combination with new technology intended to increase accuracy and expand surveillance, including the use of small, unarmed surveillance drones to exactly pinpoint the location of targets. These "micro-UAVs" (unmanned aerial vehicles) can be roughly the size of a pizza platter and meant to monitor potential targets at close range, for hours or days at a time. One former U.S. official who worked with micro-UAVs said that they can be almost impossible to detect at night. "It can be outside your window and you won't hear a whisper," the official said.<ref>Warrick, Joby, and Peter Finn, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/25/AR2010042503114.html Amid outrage over civilian deaths in Pakistan, CIA turns to smaller missiles] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110307151627/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/25/AR2010042503114.html |date=7 March 2011 }}, ''[[The Washington Post]]'', 26 April 2010</ref> The drone operators also have changed to trying to target insurgents in vehicles rather than residences to reduce the chances of civilian casualties.<ref name="The Economist"/>

An oft-quoted 2010 study by Peter Bergen and Katherine Tiedemann at the New America Foundation went as follows: "Our study shows that the 265 reported drone strikes in Northwest Pakistan, including 52 in 2011, from 2004 to the present, have killed approximately between 1,628 and 2,561 individuals, of whom around 1,335 to 2,090 were described as militants in reliable press accounts. Thus, the true non-militant fatality rate since 2004 according to our analysis is approximately 20 percent. Prior to 2010 it was 5 percent." In a separate report, written by Bergen in 2012, he commented that civilian casualties continued to fall even as drone strikes increased, concluding that "Today, for the first time, the estimated civilian death rate is close to zero."<ref>WILLIAMS, BRIAN GLYN. "Who Is Being Killed in the Drone Strikes?" In Predators: The CIA's Drone War on Al Qaeda, 89–120. Page 100. University of Nebraska Press, 2013. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1ddr6sf.12.</ref>

The New York Times reported in 2013 that the Obama Administration embraced a disputed method for counting civilian casualties, which in effect counts all military-age males in a strike zone as combatants, giving partial explanation to the official claims of extraordinarily low collateral deaths.<ref>{{cite news|title=Secret 'Kill List' Proves a Test of Obama's Principles and Will|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/world/obamas-leadership-in-war-on-al-qaeda.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|newspaper=The New York Times|date=29 May 2012|first1=Jo|last1=Becker|first2=Scott|last2=Shane|access-date=24 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005072429/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/world/obamas-leadership-in-war-on-al-qaeda.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all|archive-date=5 October 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

A January 2011 report by ''[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]'' stated that civilian casualties in the strikes had apparently decreased. According to the report, the U.S. government believed that 1,300 militants and only 30 civilians had been killed in drone strikes since mid-2008, with no civilians killed since August 2010.<ref>Capaccio, Tony, and Jeff Bliss, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20110203225155/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-31/u-s-said-to-reduce-civilian-deaths-after-increasing-cia-pakistan-strikes.html U.S. Said to Reduce Civilian Deaths After Increasing CIA Pakistan Strikes]", ''[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]'', 31 January 2011.</ref>

On 14 July 2009, Daniel L. Byman of the [[Brookings Institution]] stated that although accurate data on the results of drone strikes is difficult to obtain, it seemed that ten civilians had died in the drone attacks for every militant killed. Byman argues that civilian killings constitute a humanitarian tragedy and create dangerous political problems, including damage to the legitimacy of the Pakistani government and alienation of the Pakistani populace from America. He suggested that the real answer to halting al-Qaeda's activity in Pakistan will be long-term support of Pakistan's [[counterinsurgency]] efforts.<ref name="brookings1"/>

United States officials claim that interviews with locals do not provide accurate numbers of civilian casualties because relatives or acquaintances of the dead refuse to state that the victims were involved in militant activities.<ref name="latimes9">{{cite news|last=Dilanian|first=Ken|url=https://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-drone-strikes-20110222,0,5033756.story|title=CIA drones may be avoiding Pakistani civilians|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=22 February 2011|access-date=1 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303053840/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-drone-strikes-20110222,0,5033756.story|archive-date=3 March 2011|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The CIA reportedly passed up three chances to kill militant leaders, including [[Sirajuddin Haqqani]], with drone missiles in 2010 because civilians were nearby. The [[New America Foundation]] believes that between zero and 18 civilians have been killed in drone strikes since 23 August 2010 and that overall civilian casualties have decreased from 25% of the total in prior years to an estimated of 6% in 2010. The Foundation estimates that between 277 and 435 non-combatants have died since 2004, out of 1,374 to 2,189 total deaths.<ref name="latimes9"/>

According to a report of the Islamabad-based Conflict Monitoring Center (CMC), as of 2011 more than 2000 persons have been killed, and most of those deaths were civilians. The CMC termed the CIA drone strikes as an "assassination campaign turning out to be revenge campaign", and showed that 2010 was the deadliest year so far regarding casualties resulting from drone attacks, with 134 strikes inflicting over 900 deaths.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=4731&Cat=13&dt=19|title=Army trying to cover up bad deal on Davis|publisher=thenews.com.pk|date=19 March 2011|access-date=19 May 2011}}{{Dead link|date=April 2016}}</ref>

According to the ''[[Long War Journal]]'', as of mid-2011, the drone strikes in Pakistan since 2006 had killed 2,018 militants and 138 civilians.<ref>Roggio, Bill, and Alexander Mayer, "[http://www.longwarjournal.org/pakistan-strikes.php Charting the data for US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004 – 2011] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218080812/http://www.longwarjournal.org/pakistan-strikes.php |date=18 February 2015 }} ", ''[[Long War Journal]]'', 5 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.</ref> The [[New America Foundation]] stated in mid-2011 that from 2004 to 2011, 80% of the 2,551 people killed in the strikes were militants. The Foundation stated that 95% of those killed in 2010 were militants and that, as of 2012, 15% of the total people killed by drone strikes were either civilians or unknown.<ref name="The Economist"/> The foundation also states that in 2012 the rate of civilian and unknown casualties was 2 percent, whereas the [[Bureau of Investigative Journalism]] say the rate of civilian casualties for 2012 is 9 percent.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121104052227/http://afpak.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/11/02/counting_civilian_casualties_in_cia_s_drone_war Counting civilian casualties in CIA's drone war], Foreign Policy</ref>

The [[Bureau of Investigative Journalism]], based on extensive research in mid-2011, claims that "credible reports" indicate 392 civilians were among the dead, including 175 children, out of the 2,347 people reported killed in US attacks since 2004. In the same article, the BIJ also claimed that "the intended targets – militants in the tribal areas – appear to make up the majority of those killed. There are almost 150 named militants among the dead since 2004, though hundreds are unknown, low-ranking fighters."<ref name="thebureauinvestigates.com"/>

The CIA has claimed that the strikes conducted between May 2010 and August 2011 killed over 600 militants and did not result in any civilian fatalities; this assessment has been criticized by [[Bill Roggio]] from the ''Long War Journal'' and other commentators as being unrealistic. Unnamed American officials who spoke to ''The New York Times'' claimed that, as of August 2011, the drone campaign had killed over 2,000 militants and approximately 50 non-combatants.<ref name="C.I.A. Is Disputed"/>

An independent research site ''Pakistan Body Count'' run by Dr. Zeeshan-ul-hassan, a Fulbright scholar keeping track of all the drone attacks, claims that 2179 civilians were among the dead, and 12.4% children and women.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pakistanbodycount.org/drone_attack|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712090312/http://pakistanbodycount.org/drone_attack|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-07-12|title=Drone Attacks in Pakistan|publisher=PakistanBodyCount.org|access-date=2013-06-09}}</ref> A report by the [[Bureau of Investigative Journalism]], released 4 February 2012, stated that under the Obama administration (2008–2011) drone strikes killed between 282 and 535 civilians, including 60 children.<ref name="Lamb, Christina 2012, page 28">Lamb, Christina, Chris Woods, and Rahimullah Yusufzai, "Covert CIA Drones Kill Hundreds Of Civilians", ''[[London Sunday Times]]'', 5 February 2012, page 28.</ref>

The British human rights group [[Reprieve (organisation)|Reprieve]] filed a case with the [[United Nations Human Rights Council]], based on [[affidavit]]s by 18 family members of civilians killed in the attacks – many of them children. They are calling on the UNHRC "to condemn the attacks as illegal human rights violations."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://reprieve.org.uk/media/downloads/2012_02_22_PUB_drones_UN_HRC_complaint.pdf |title=COMPLAINT AGAINST THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FOR THE KILLING OF INNOCENT CITIZENS OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN |date=22 February 2012 |access-date=25 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910131815/http://reprieve.org.uk/media/downloads/2012_02_22_PUB_drones_UN_HRC_complaint.pdf |archive-date=10 September 2012 }}</ref>

A February 2012 [[Associated Press]] investigation found that militants were the main victims of drone strikes in [[North Waziristan]] contrary to the "widespread perception in Pakistan that civilians ... are the principal victims." The AP studied 10 drone strikes. Their reporters spoke to about 80 villagers in North Waziristan, and were told that at least 194 people died in the ten attacks. According to the villagers 56 of those were either civilians or tribal police and 138 were militants. Thirty-eight of the civilians died in a single attack on 17 March 2011. Villagers stated that one way to tell if civilians were killed was to observe how many funerals took place after a strike; the bodies of militants were usually taken elsewhere for burial, while civilians were usually buried immediately and locally.<ref>Abbot, Sebastian, [[Associated Press]], [https://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2012/02/26/20120226study-drone-strikes.html "Study: Militants, Not Civilians, Are Primary Victims Of Drone Strikes"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303234325/http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2012/02/26/20120226study-drone-strikes.html |date=3 March 2016 }}, ''[[Arizona Republic]]'', 26 February 2012.</ref>

A September 2012 report by researchers from [[Stanford University]] and [[New York University]] criticized the drone campaign, stating that it was killing a high number of civilians and turning the Pakistani public against the United States. The report, compiled by interviewing witnesses, drone-attack survivors, and others in Pakistan provided by a Pakistani human rights organization, Foundation for Fundamental Rights, concluded that only 2% of drone strike victims are "high-level" militant leaders. The report's authors did not estimate the numbers of total civilian casualties, but suggested that the February 2012 Bureau of Investigative Journalism report was more accurate than the ''Long War Journal'' report (both detailed above) on civilian casualties. The report also opined that the drone attacks were violations of international law, because the US government had not shown that the targets were direct threats to the US.<ref>Zucchino, David, "Study Slams Drone Use In Pakistan", ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', 25 September 2012, page 3</ref> The report further noted the US policy of considering all military-age males in a strike zone as militants following the air strike unless exonerating evidence proves otherwise. Media outlets were also urged to cease using the term "militant" when reporting on drone attacks without further explanation.<ref>[http://livingunderdrones.org/ Living under Drones] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012043923/http://livingunderdrones.org/ |date=12 October 2012 }}. ''[[Stanford University]] & [[NYU]].'' Retrieved on 6 October 2012.</ref>

In an interview in October 2013, one former drone operator described events suggesting that child casualties may go unrecognized in some mission assessments.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Jethro Mullen|date=23 October 2013|title=Report: Former drone operator shares his inner torment|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/23/us/drone-operator-interview/index.html|access-date=24 October 2013|publisher=CNN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024035406/http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/23/us/drone-operator-interview/index.html|archive-date=24 October 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> A week later, Pakistan's Ministry of Defense stated that 67 civilians had been among the 2,227 people killed in 317 drone strikes since 2008. The Ministry said that the remainder of those killed were Islamic militants.<ref>Walsh, Declan, "Pakistan cuts its estimate of civilian drone deaths", ''[[The New York Times]]'' (International Edition), 1 November 2013, page 3</ref> Research published by [[Reprieve (organisation)|Reprieve]] in 2014 suggested that U.S. drone strikes in Yemen and Pakistan have had an unknown person to target casualty ratio of 28:1 with one attack in the study having a ratio of 128:1 with 13 children being killed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/24/-sp-us-drone-strikes-kill-1147|title=41 men targeted but 1,147 people killed: US drone strikes – the facts on the ground|author=Spencer Ackerman|work=the Guardian|date=24 November 2014|access-date=11 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171125061727/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/24/-sp-us-drone-strikes-kill-1147|archive-date=25 November 2017|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

US hostage [[Warren Weinstein]] and [[Italia]]n hostage Giovanni Lo Porto were killed in a January 2015 US-led drone strike on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, as announced by [[U.S. President]] [[Barack Obama]] at a [[White House]] press conference on 23 April 2015.<ref>{{cite news|author=ADI|url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/23/politics/white-house-hostages-killed/|title=President Obama Comments on Death of Hostages|publisher=CNN.com|access-date=2015-04-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423190024/http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/23/politics/white-house-hostages-killed/|archive-date=23 April 2015|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==Impact==
According to a 2018 study in the journal ''[[International Security (journal)|International Security]]'', there is scant evidence that drone strikes in Pakistan radicalize at the local, national or transnational level.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Shah|first=Aqil|date=2018|title=Do U.S. Drone Strikes Cause Blowback? Evidence from Pakistan and Beyond|journal=International Security|language=en|volume=42|issue=4|pages=47–84|doi=10.1162/isec_a_00312|s2cid=57571553|issn=0162-2889|doi-access=free}}</ref>

According to a 2016 study in ''[[International Studies Quarterly]]'', drone strikes are an effective counterterrorist tool in Pakistan. The study found that "drone strikes are associated with decreases in the incidence and lethality of terrorist attacks, as well as decreases in selective targeting of tribal elders."<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Johnston|first1=Patrick B.|last2=Sarbahi|first2=Anoop K.|date=2016-01-04|title=The Impact of US Drone Strikes on Terrorism in Pakistan|journal=International Studies Quarterly|language=en|volume=60|issue=2|pages=203–219|doi=10.1093/isq/sqv004|issn=0020-8833|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Pakistan}}
* [[Drone strikes in Yemen]], [[List of drone strikes in Afghanistan|Afghanistan]], [[American intervention in Libya (2015–present)|Libya]] and [[Drone strikes in Somalia|Somalia]]
* [[Pakistan–United States military relations]]
* [[Saheb al-Amiri]]
* [[Disposition Matrix]]—database of US capture/kill list
* [[List of terrorist incidents in Pakistan since 2001]]
* [[Terrorism in Pakistan]]
* [[Violence in Pakistan 2006-09]]
* ''[[Unmanned: America's Drone Wars]]'' (2013 documentary film)
* ''[[Good Kill]]'' (2014 film)

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book|editor1-last=Bashir|editor1-first=Shahzad|editor2-last=Crews|editor2-first=Robert D.|year=2012|title=Under the Drones: Modern Lives in the Afghanistan-Pakistan Borderlands|location=Cambridge, MA|publisher=[[Harvard University Press]]|isbn=978-0-674-06561-1}}

==External links==
{{External links|date=December 2017}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.reprieve.org.uk/investigations/drones/|title=Project Bugsplat|work=Reprieve|access-date=7 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130808051438/http://www.reprieve.org.uk/investigations/drones/|archive-date=8 August 2013|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/secret-war/|title=Secret War|work=FRONTLINE|date=3 January 2012|access-date=4 January 2012}}
* {{cite news|first=Karen|last=DeYoung|title=Secrecy defines Obama's drone war|date=19 December 2011|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/secrecy-defines-obamas-drone-war/2011/10/28/gIQAPKNR5O_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=21 December 2011}}
* {{cite web|last1=Roggio |first1=Bill |first2=Alexander |last2=Mayer |url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/pakistan-strikes-hvts.php |title=Senior al Qaeda and Taliban leaders killed in US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004–2011 |work=Long War Journal |date=28 October 2011 |access-date=27 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111216232410/http://www.longwarjournal.org/pakistan-strikes-hvts.php |archive-date=16 December 2011 }}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.peterbergen.com/articles/details.aspx?id=494 |title=Washington's Phantom War: The Effects of the U.S. Drone Program in Pakistan |last1=Bergen |first1=Peter |last2=Tiedemann |first2=Katherine |date=July–August 2011 |access-date=16 December 2011 |work=Foreign Affairs |publisher=PeterBergen.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415090003/http://www.peterbergen.com/articles/details.aspx?id=494 |archive-date=15 April 2012 }}
* {{cite web|url=http://counterterrorism.newamerica.net/drones |title=The Year of the Drone: Data and Interactive Map |work=New America Foundation |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110830213657/http://counterterrorism.newamerica.net/drones |archive-date=30 August 2011 |df=dmy }}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.democracynow.org/2010/4/1/drones|title=UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston Responds to US Defense of Drone Attacks' Legality|work=[[Democracy Now!]]|date=1 April 2010|access-date=26 December 2011}}
* {{cite web|url=http://counterterrorism.newamerica.net/sites/newamerica.net/files/policydocs/bergentiedemann2.pdf|title=The Year of the Drone: An Analysis of U.S. Drone Strikes in Pakistan, 2004–2010|last1=Bergen|first1=Peter|last2=Tiedemann|first2=Katherine|date=24 February 2010|access-date=16 December 2011|work=New America Foundation}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/category/projects/drone-data/ |work=Bureau of Investigative Journalism |title=Covert Drone War-the Data |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111030103312/http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/category/projects/drone-data/ |archive-date=30 October 2011 }}
* {{cite news|url=https://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/10/26/091026fa_fact_mayer|title=The Predator War|first=Jane|last=Mayer|newspaper=New Yorker|date=26 October 2009|access-date=16 December 2011}}
* {{cite web|last1=Roggio|first1=Bill|first2=Alexander|last2=Mayer|url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/10/analysis_us_airstrik.php|title=Analysis: A look at US Airstrikes In Pakistan through September 2009|work=Long War Journal|date=1 October 2009|access-date=19 December 2011}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/03/pakistan_map.html|title=Interactive Map: U.S. Airstrikes in Pakistan on the Rise|work=Center for American Progress|date=5 March 2009}}
* [https://archive.today/20120712090312/http://pakistanbodycount.org/drone_attack Pakistan Body Count] (Complete timeline of drone attacks in Pakistan)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130609212125/http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/asia/south-asia/pakistan/247-drones-myths-and-reality-in-pakistan.aspx Drones: Myths And Reality In Pakistan], 21 May 2013, [[International Crisis Group]]
* BBC NEWS "Trump revokes Obama rule on reporting drone strike deaths" (7 March 2019) '''Tara McKelvey, BBC News'''

{{Afghanistan War|state=collapsed}}
{{Pakistan–United States relations}}
{{Al-Qaeda}}
{{Taliban}}
{{Tehrik}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drone Attacks In Pakistan}}
[[Category:Drone strikes in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Airstrikes of the insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]
[[Category:Airstrikes during the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)]]
[[Category:Pakistan–United States military relations]]
[[Category:Al-Qaeda]]
[[Category:Taliban]]
[[Category:CIA activities in Asia]]
[[Category:Inter-Services Intelligence operations]]
[[Category:Counterterrorism in the United States]]
[[Category:Human rights abuses in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Terrorism in Pakistan]]
[[Category:2009 in Pakistan]]
[[Category:2010s in Pakistan]]
[[Category:George W. Bush administration controversies]]
[[Category:Obama administration controversies]]
[[Category:Government of Yousaf Raza Gillani]]
[[Category:Government of Pakistan secrecy]]
[[Category:Government of Shaukat Aziz]]
[[Category:Hamid Karzai]]
[[Category:Nawaz Sharif administration]]
[[Category:Spillover of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)]]
[[Category:Attacks in Pakistan in 2009]]
[[Category:Drone strikes conducted by the United States]]
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