Design studio Pitch Interactive’s visualisation of Pakistan drone strikes uses Bureau data

Pitch Interactive, a California-based design studio, has produced an interactive timeline charting the history of the CIA’s drone campaign, from the first strike on June 17 2004 to the latest, on December 25 2013. The visualisation is built with the Bureau’s data.

Out of Sight, out of mind: a visualisation of drone strikes in Pakistan by Pitch Interactive
from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

The interactive shows periods of intense activity by the CIA in the tribal areas of Pakistan. But more than 100 days have passed since the CIA last launched a drone strike in Pakistan.

This is the longest pause between attacks in Pakistan yet recorded by the Bureau. The strikes have been hitting Pakistan’s tribal areas for almost 10 years.

The halt in strikes is almost twice as long as the 54-day break at the end of 2011. The break in drone attacks has coincided with protracted attempts by the Pakistan government to start peace negotiations with the Pakistan Taliban.

Rahimullah Yusufzai, a Peshawar-based reporter who is part of the team negotiating with the TTP on behalf of the Pakistani government, confirmed to the Bureau that Islamabad had asked the US for a cessation of drone strikes during the peace talks.

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