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61337
26 Oct, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

Consensus grows among UN states for greater transparency on drone civilian deaths

UN members call for greater transparency (Image: Chris Woods) Key members of the United Nations – including some of Washington’s closest allies – broke with a decade of tradition on Friday when they endorsed calls for greater transparency over drone civilian deaths. The European Union, the United Kingdom and Switzerland were joined by the Russian Federation and China in calling for […]
61339
22 Oct, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

Human rights groups say civilian drone deaths violate international law

Rafeequl Rehman and his children showing a picture of Mamana Bibi, killed by a drone in Pakistan. (Image: Amnesty International) Leading human rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have raised serious concerns about the legality of drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen. The two organisations have conducted separate investigations into specific strikes to highlight […]
61341
18 Oct, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

US must release data on civilian drone casualties, says UN report

Emmerson: Drones operate in an ‘accountability vacuum’ (Photo: United Nations) A report by a UN expert urges the US to ‘release its own data on the level of civilian casualties’ caused by drone strikes and attacks the lack of transparency surrounding CIA and US special forces drone operations. Ben Emmerson, a British barrister and UN […]
61343
17 Oct, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

UN expert calls for increased transparency over armed drones

Heyns warns about a ‘lack of consensus’ over the international law governing drone strikes (Photo: United Nations) A UN expert has called for nations that operate armed drones to be more transparent and ‘publicly disclose’ how they use them. In a report prepared for the UN, Christof Heyns, the special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, points […]
61347
1 Oct, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

September 2013 Update: US covert actions in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia

Multiple drone strikes hit Pakistan, but no confirmed US attacks in Yemen (Senior Airman Larry E. Reid Jr/US Air Force). CIA drones strike Pakistan four times in September. Drone attacks pause for a month in Yemen. No strikes in Somalia. Al Shabaab violence grabs the world’s attention. Pakistan September 2013 actions Total CIA strikes in […]
61353
2 Sep, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

August 2013 Update: US covert actions in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia

Secretary of State John Kerry meets President Asif Ali Zardari in Pakistan.(State Department photo/Public Domain). One strike in Pakistan ends 34-day stretch without an attack. Yemen sees more strikes in a month than any time since March 2012. Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières pulls out of Somalia. Pakistan August 2013 actions Total CIA strikes in August: 1 […]
61355
2 Aug, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

July 2013 Update: US covert actions in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia

A US Air Force Predator on patrol (US Air Force Photo/Lt Col Leslie Pratt). The CIA killed more people in Pakistan per strike than at any point since July 2012. US drones return to Yemen‘s skies and al Qaeda confirms the death of its deputy leader. UN report finds indications of increased US and UK involvement […]
61363
1 Aug, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

Is Congressional oversight tough enough on drones?

Dianne Feinstein (centre) and members of the Senate intelligence committee grill John Brennan (Photo: SenRockefeller via Flickr) In the Bureau’s latest investigation into the tactic of ‘double-tap’ strikes on rescuers, our field researcher’s findings appear to directly contradict an account of a strike attributed to staffers of the Congressional bodies charged with overseeing CIA drone […]
61365
25 Jul, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

US officials attack ‘far from authoritative’ leaked drone report

A Pakistani soldier in FATA, where there have been 370 CIA drone strikes. (Photo: Chris Woods) US officials are claiming that an internal Pakistani assessment of civilian deaths from US drone strikes – obtained and published in full by the Bureau –  is ‘far from authoritative.’ The secret document was obtained by the Bureau from […]
61373
1 Jul, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

Six-month update: US covert actions in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia

In May, President Obama admitted for the first time US drones have caused civilian casualties in the covert drone war (Image: Peter Souza/White House). Bureau data suggests the CIA is killing fewer people in each strike in Pakistan. Lack of official transparency means it remains unclear who is carrying out strikes in Yemen. No reports of US […]
61375
3 Jun, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

May 2013 Update: US covert actions in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia

A US drone crashed in al Shabaab-controlled southern Somalia this month (Photo: Twitter) The Pakistan Taliban’s deputy commander is killed in a CIA drone strike A CIA drone attack in Yemen kills four, reportedly including a senior leader in al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula The Pentagon admits a US surveillance drone has crashed in Somalia Pakistan May […]
61377
24 May, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

White House briefings lay out new drone rulebook – but questions remain

Clarity from the White House (Photo: Michael Baird/ Flickr) Two of the most controversial aspects of the US covert drone campaign – CIA control of strikes in Pakistan, and the use of so-called signature strikes – look set to continue until at least 2014, papers released by the White House indicate. In the wake of […]
61379
23 May, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

Obama frames covert drone war as necessary evil

 Barack Obama at a recent meeting of the National Security Council. (Pete Souza/ White House) Barack Obama has made it clear that the US will continue with its controversial targeted killing programme. In a major speech the US president also announced that he has signed into force a new – and secret – rule book for […]
61383
2 May, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

April 2013 Update: US covert actions in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia

An armed Reaper sits on the apron at Nellis Air Force Base. (cclark395/Flickr) Two CIA strikes kill at least eight in Pakistan, including an al Qaeda commander. US drone strikes return to Yemen after an 85-day pause. Militants launch one of their most well organised and deadly attacks to date, on a court house in […]
18 Apr, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

Letter to Obama on targeted killings

Ten human rights and civil liberties groups have written an open letter to President Obama raising concerns over targeted killings and the use of drones. Here is the text in full:
61389
18 Apr, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

Red Cross chief urges caution over covert drones

ICRC president Peter Maurer urged ‘very restrained’ use of drones (Photo: Thierry Gassmann / www.icrc.org) The president of the humanitarian organisation International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) this week warned of the organisation’s concerns over drones being used in situations that are not official armed conflicts. Peter Maurer made the comments following a four-day trip to […]
61392
11 Apr, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

Secret US documents show Brennan’s ‘no civilian drone deaths’ claim was false

John Brennan being sworn in as CIA director in March 2013. (White House/ David Lienemann) US intelligence officials were aware that at least one civilian had died in drone strikes in Pakistan during 2011, despite claims to the contrary made by the man now running the Central Intelligence Agency. In June 2011, John Brennan, at […]
61394
2 Apr, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

March 2013 Update: US covert actions in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia

An armed Reaper waits on the ramp in Afghanistan (US Air Force). Two strikes hit Pakistan, ending a month-long pause between attacks. There were no reported US drone strikes in Yemen in March, marking the longest pause between covert attacks in three years. No strikes were again recorded in Somalia. Pakistan March 2013 actions Total CIA […]
61402
15 Mar, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

Pakistan government says ‘at least 400 civilians’ killed in drone strikes

The Pakistani government denied it secretly consents to strikes. (Photo: stephenpend) The Pakistani government estimates at least 400 civilians have been killed in drone strikes – a figure close to the Bureau’s own findings. In evidence to  Ben Emmerson QC, UN special rapporteur on counter-terrorism,  the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that CIA drones […]
61400
15 Mar, 2013
Update
Somalia

Parents of British man killed by US drone blame UK government

Gamal Sakr blames government for son’s death. (Image: Susannah Ireland, Independent) The parents of a British-born man killed by a US drone strike after being stripped of his UK citizenship have spoken out for the first time – to say they will never forgive the British Government for his death. Mohamed Sakr was born and […]
61406
1 Mar, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

February 2013 Update: US covert actions in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia

John Brennan – leading proponent of the drone programme and the CIA’s director-designate (C-Span). CIA drones kill two alleged al Qaeda commanders in two strikes on Pakistan. US operations drop to zero in Yemen a year after President Saleh was ousted from power. No operations reported in Somalia. Pakistan February 2013 actions Total CIA strikes […]
61410
27 Feb, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

No evidence Congressional committee does ‘utmost’ to follow up drone civilian death claims

Are Congressional oversight bodies really doing their ‘utmost’? (Photo L’ennnui/ Flickr) Claims by a powerful Senate oversight committee that it is doing its ‘utmost’ to verify claims of civilian casualties from covert US drone strikes have been undermined by the discovery that it has made no contact with any group conducting field studies into civilian […]
61408
27 Feb, 2013
Update
Somalia

Former British citizens killed by drone strikes after passports revoked

Passport cancelled: the Coalition government has stripped 16 people of their British citizenship. (Image: Shutterstock) An investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and published in the Independent has established that since 2010 the Home Secretary Theresa May has revoked the passports of 16 individuals many of whom are alleged to have had links to […]
61412
8 Feb, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

Incoming CIA boss says covert drone strikes are ‘last resort’

Brennan talks with Obama in the president’s private dining room, 2010 (Photo: White House) John Brennan, the incoming director of the Central Intelligence Agency, told US senators last night that the CIA does not carry out covert drone strikes ‘to punish terrorists for past transgressions’. He insisted instead that they are only used ‘as a […]
61416
1 Feb, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

January 2013 Update: US covert actions in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia

A fully armed Reaper taxis before a mission (US Air Force – Sgt Brian Ferguson). In Pakistan a heavy CIA drone campaign targeted both so-called ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Taliban. Three senior militants were among the dead. Yemen was hit by the highest number of airstrikes in one month since June 2012, though none have been formally confirmed as US operations. […]
61418
24 Jan, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

UN launches major investigation into civilian drone deaths

Ben Emmerson QC addresses reporters in London (Photo: TBIJ) A UN investigation into the legality and casualties of drone strikes has been formally launched, with a leading human rights lawyer revealing the team that will carry out the inquiry. The announcement came as the latest reported US drone strike in Yemen was said to have […]
61420
9 Jan, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

New questions over CIA nominee Brennan’s denial of civilian drone deaths

Obama’s CIA choice. But Brennan civilian death claims raise issues. (White House/ Pete Souza) Claims by the Central Intelligence Agency’s new director-designate that the US intelligence services received ‘no information’ about any civilians killed by US drones in the year prior to June 2011 do not appear to bear scrutiny. John Brennan, President Obama’s nominee […]
61422
3 Jan, 2013
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

Emerging from the shadows: US covert drone strikes in 2012

An MQ-9 Reaper at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada (USAF/Lance Cheung) Reported civilian deaths fell sharply in Pakistan in 2012, with Bureau data suggesting that a minimum of 2.5% of those reported killed were civilians – compared with more than 14% in 2011. This suggests the CIA is seeking to limit non-militant casualties, perhaps as a […]
61432
6 Dec, 2012
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

UK parliament to investigate drones

A Reaper drone at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan (Photo: Ministry of Defence) The British parliament will examine the use of drones as part of an overarching inquiry into the future of the UK’s armed forces. The defence select committee – a panel of 12 politicians led by James Arbuthnot MP – has published its programme of […]
61434
4 Dec, 2012
Update
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

Revealed: US and Britain launched 1,200 drone strikes in recent wars

An MQ-9 Reaper returns to Kandahar from an Afghan mission. (USAF/Tech Sgt Chad Chisholm) Recent conflicts in Afghanistan, Libya and Iraq have seen almost 1,200 drone strikes over the past five years, according to new data released to the Bureau. The information, much of it classified until now, shows that US Air Force drones carried […]