Podcast: Inside the Bureau’s latest drones investigation
The Bureau has published new research showing CIA drone strikes have hit domestic buildings more than any other target in Pakistan over the past 10 years.
Reporter Alice K Ross discusses the key findings from the investigation with Owen Bennett-Jones on the Bureau’s podcast, Drone News.
The research reveals that more than 60% of all CIA drone strikes in Pakistan targeted domestic buildings. At least 222 civilians were reportedly killed in these attacks. The CIA has continued to attack domestic buildings in Pakistan throughout the 10-year drone war.
This is despite an instruction to Nato troops in Afghanistan that ‘all compounds are assumed to house civilians unless proven to be clear’.
Previous episode: Politician Mohammed Qubaty discusses US – Yemen military cooperation
The Bureau conducted the analysis in conjunction with Forensic Architecture at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Situ Research in New York. The data is also displayed on an interactive map, titled Where the Drones Strike.
Susan Schuppli, Forensic Architecture project coordinator, told Drone News that the consistent targetting of domestic buildings was a surprise. She said: ‘There was the perception that drone strikes on domestic buildings had decreased over time with an increase on vehicles. But when you look at the overall data set one actually sees that domestic buildings are in fact the primary targets.’
Also in this episode, Ross explains how five new Reaper drones that David Cameron announced in December 2010 would support British troops in Afghanistan are still not yet in operation, which the Bureau revealed this week.
Picture credit: Karim Khan/AFP/Getty
Follow Alice K Ross and Jack Serle on Twitter. Sign up for the drones newsletter and subscribe to the podcast.
