1 in 3 Killed by US Drones Are Civilians

Think tank issues report on Pakistan casualties

By Jane Yager

Posted Mar 4, 2010 8:21 AM CST

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1 in 3 Killed by US Drones Are Civilians — Members of a Pakistani civil society hold a rally against the suspected U.S. missile attacks in the tribal areas along the Afghan border, Monday, April 20, 2009 in Islamabad, Pakistan. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

One out of three people killed by unmanned US Predator drones in Pakistan is a civilian, according to a new report sure to fuel criticism of the unmanned attacks. The report by a Washington think tank found that 32% of the more than 1,200 people killed since 2004 were bystanders instead of militants.

The use of drone attacks has increased since President Obama took office, with 51 attacks last year—more than in all eight years of the Bush presidency. The White House defends its increasing reliance on drones as an effective way to target top-ranking militants: They've killed three top Taliban leaders recently, and narrowly missed Osama bin Laden's deputy.

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