|
NEDERLANDS | ENGLISH
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
19 July 2011 |
 mail this article
|
 print
|  | The Bureau of Investigative Journalism
In Video: Obama’s drone war
Related article: The CIA drone strike that rewrote the rules Research by the Bureau reveals for the first time the extent of civilian casualties in CIA drone strikes in the past year. It comes less than a month after President Obama’s chief counter-terrorism advisor John Brennan publicly stated: ‘…that nearly for the past year there hasn’t been a single collateral death because of the exceptional proficiency, precision of the capabilities that we’ve been able to develop’. Asked on June 29 about US ‘targeted killings’, a euphemism which in this case refers to the CIA drone strikes, Brennan responded: ‘One of the things President Obama has insisted on is that we’re exceptionally precise and surgical in terms of addressing the terrorist threat. And by that I mean, if there are terrorists who are within an area where there are women and children or others, you know, we do not take such action that might put those innocent men, women and children in danger.’ See more on Obama’s covert war. Our investigation Chris Woods, who leads the Bureau’s investigation into US drone strikes, said: ‘Washington believes that no civilians are dying in Pakistan drone strikes. Our evidence directly contradicts this. So it is unfortunate that the CIA chooses not to share its ‘accurate information’ with the world.’ Despite being shown a summary of the Bureau’s findings, a senior US official insisted to the Bureau: ‘There haven’t been any non-combatant casualties for about a year, and assertions to the contrary are wrong. The most accurate information on counter-terror operations resides with the United States.’ Clive Stafford Smith, of campaigning law firm Reprieve, said: ‘There is the greatest danger here of a falsehood being told by US intelligence services, which misleads President Obama into taking decisions which are manifestly contrary to America’s best interests.’ The Bureau’s findings Our analysis of 116 drone strikes that took place between August 2010 and Brennan’s speech on June 29 reveals: · Ten drone strikes in which a total of at least 45 civilians have been killed. · Six named children killed by these drone strikes. · At least 15 additional strikes are likely to have killed many more civilians. · US drone strikes in Pakistan have risen from one a year in 2004 to one every four days under President Obama. · The US continues to insist that drone strikes are ‘the most accurate weapon in history’.
____________________________________________________________________________
DeepJournal Sign up for the free mailing list. |
|
12 September 2013 |
Why is Syria under attack? - Part 4
When you peek below the surface, it becomes clear that Syria is under attack due to the interests of the parties involved. ‘Syria’ is about power, money, influence and energy.
8 September 2013 |
Why is Syria under attack? - Part 2
In the event of major military conflicts that risk considerable humanitarian and economic consequences, it is useful to examine the interests of all parties involved as well as the role that the media plays in reporting the events.
7 September 2013 |
Why is Syria under attack? - Part 1
On the surface it’s straightforward: the U.S. wants to liberate Syria from a brutal dictator who is attacking his own people with poison gas. But beneath the surface there is something very different going on.
28 August 2012
Daan de Wit (DeepJournal) interviewt Webster Tarpley op het Magneetfestival
Het Magneetfestival gaat de diepte in met vier interviews. Daan de Wit interviewt Webster Tarpley, Albert Spits, en Mike Donkers.
|