Chris Woods

Study: Hundreds of Civilians Reported Killed in First Year of Coalition Airstrikes

A six-month investigation into alleged civilian and ‘friendly fire’ deaths from Coalition airstrikes in Iraq and Syria has identified more than 120 incidents of concern to June 30th according to an Airwars report published today – three times more problem events than the Coalition itself was aware of. Airwars believes that for 57 of these … Continue reading “Study: Hundreds of Civilians Reported Killed in First Year of Coalition Airstrikes”

UN launches major investigation into civilian drone deaths

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 mistakenly killed two children. Ben Emmerson QC, the UN’s … Continue reading “UN launches major investigation into civilian drone deaths”

Emerging from the shadows: US covert drone strikes in 2012

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 result of sustained criticism.Drone strikes in Pakistan are now at … Continue reading “Emerging from the shadows: US covert drone strikes in 2012”

How the Washington Post Strips Casualties From Drone data

Alongside the Washington Post’s latest blockbuster reports on the Obama administration’s drone kill list is a new graphic, depicting US covert strikes since 2002. Based on reports by monitoring organisations, the graphic lists hundreds of US drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, in what the paper says will be a regularly updated project. Also … Continue reading “How the Washington Post Strips Casualties From Drone data”