US officials slammed the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism report's finding that there had been many more CIA attacks on alleged militant targets and far more civilian deaths than previously reported.
The report said that bombing raids by unmanned aircraft, designed to target al Qaeda and Taliban militants, had killed up to 168 children in Pakistan over the last seven years.
"The numbers cited by this organization are way off the mark," said a senior US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"In the past year, in the neighborhood of 600 militants, including over two dozen terrorist leaders, have been taken off the battlefield.
"In that same period of time, we can't confirm any noncombatant casualties," the official told AFP in an email.
A second US official, who also asked not to be identified, dismissed the report as unfounded, saying: "The numbers are wrong."
The officials said intelligence agencies took precautions to avoid killing civilians and that the robotic aircraft equipped with missiles, video cameras and sensors, can linger over a target to ensure accuracy.
"This is a weapon, fueled by good intelligence, that allows us to counter an urgent and deadly threat in otherwise inaccessible places," said the first official.
"And it's far more precise than conventional ground operations. What's the alternative to this kind of rigor, assuming the United States and its allies are unwilling to allow al Qaeda and its friends to plot and murder freely?"
The London-based group said 291 CIA drone strikes had taken place in Pakistan since 2004, eight percent more than previously reported, and that under President Barack Obama there had been 236 -- one every four days.
But the official said the report's numbers had not been confirmed.
"Credible reports of civilian deaths are taken into account, period. If large numbers of innocent people were being killed, the Pakistanis wouldn't stand for it. Neither would we. That's the reality," the official said.
US officials also cast doubt on one of the report's sources, Mirza Shahzad Akbar, a Pakistani lawyer who is suing the Central Intelligence Agency on behalf of civilians who say they lost loved ones in drone strikes.
"One of the loudest voices claiming all these civilian casualties is a Pakistani lawyer who's pushing a lawsuit to stop operations against some of the most dangerous terrorists on the planet," the official said.
"His publicity is designed to put targets on the backs of Americans serving in Pakistan and Afghanistan. His agenda is crystal clear."
The official said there were concerns about the lawyer's possible links with Pakistani intelligence, as Akbar had publicly named the CIA's undercover station chief in the country.
COMMENTS (20)
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As long as the Pakistan military needs to accept billions of dollars of US aid then they will assist and allow drone strikes regardless of the cost to the civilian population. The civilian population will first have to get off it's knees and take control of the elections, as through the vote the population can change the drone policy. As long as the silent majority approves of the drone strikes things will remain as they are.
@DarkStar(Karachi):
Go & read the newspaper date May 2-3. The AF chief the following day said the Radars were off, then the next day he said the Radars were not jammed.
If anything that AF or Army chief should had RESIGNED the very next day.
I reiterate again (w/16+ years in US military industrial complex under my belt) that these murderers will be served justice by means of Predators or Global Hawk or Dark Star & many other classified means. Let it be know to these murderers that they can run but they cannot hide.
@DarkStar(Karachi):
Political leadership is toothless in matters of Foreign policy. Its the Military that rules the roost in Pakistan, not the Civilians. Why are you blaming them?
US fires them alright, only because Military allows them to. Man, you guys cant take a single word against the Military, can you! No wonder it has ruled the Country for more than half its existence.
@BruteForce: You're right, I didn't read your post properly. Yet my point is that we should blame our civilian leadership for the lack of will in tackling this issue. The US is to blame in so far as they are the one's actually firing the missiles.
@Dallas Ali: Who said he missed it? There are many reports in the media hinting towards active co-operation and help from our services.
@DarkStar(Karachi):
They have the ability to take down Drones, that is what I am saying. Please read the post completely and then comment.
Its the Army's fault or active connivance is the reason for the Drone attacks. Blaming the US gets you nowhere.
very soon drones will comb Continental USA and they will not be US drones.
@Dallas Ali: You said it man! Thanks and regards, Mirza
@DarkStar(Karachi): This is the same AF chief who missed the OBL raid. Pakistan has neither the will or capability to stop US from pursuing these murderers who have taken hostage; the innocent & peaceful Pakistani. The silent majority is probably applauding US action. The drone will go after these murderers wherever they TRY to hide.
@BruteForce: I reluctantly agree with you. It is strange that Pakistani Army or leadership or Intelligence services has done anything to prevent those drone attacks. We boast of great missiles vis a vis India. We boast about superior technologies and even satellite launches which was designed, assembled and launched by our best friend China. We daily print articles on how China is our best friend and hardly bring to table any figure of charity done by China to us. On other hand we take billions of free money from USA, they give us free upgrades to F-16 without which truthfully our planes are sitting duck. Of course this in NO WAY gives USA freedom to kill our innocents. They cannot act as Judge, Jury and Executioner all in one. We scream that westerners have mocked our sovereignty, but seriously what have we done in our capability to stop these abuse ? Besides the public anger and protests and promises by our sheep in lion clothes leader that they will defend our sovereignty what else we have done ? Americans mocks our leader immediately next hour by bombing few more people , wishfully they were all terrorists, and our leaders continue to promise and mis lead our poor citizens. Basically our army only as teeth to fight against India. Nothing motivates them enough than the war with India. And not just our army but also most of our country men gets charged up by very thought of ging to war with India. We the common men let this happen, we the common men let ourselves mis led and mis directed towards false hopes and goals and divert our attention from real problems like lack in education, lack in civil obedience, lack in an international level industry or products. Please dont count the shorts and pants we sell to those countries please. Dont take pride on wat we had been doing since pre partition. We sew their pants for 2$ and they sell it for 500$ . So anyways, either we stop focusing on hate messages and daily jihad with almost everybody and instead of dreaming to liberate someone else let's be strong enough to help others in struggle. We are standing on legs made of straw and we want to lift other's burden. Thats not bravery, not courage but simply foolishness as we risk to break our legs, our own society before we can even lift others. Anyways I think I went too tangential from the topic. But news like these squeezes out frustration in me a common citizen. I am not sad that we dont have Kashmir, I am more sad that we are not an advanced country. With our level of population and brilliant minds and quite a good strategic support to begin with we could have easily be a far better country. By now Kashmir would have easily walked to join our country looking at our progress. Instead we decided to take the barbaric way of doing things and in the process loss credibility to the world that we are stable enough to take care of our own things. This makes countries like USA to dictate terms to us , to freely go around our streets picking their target unchallenged. Our sovereignty is abused every second, and we are the cause of it and we can do nothing. Sad. Khuda Hafiz.
@BruteForce: You are wrong. The Air Force chief is on record in parliament, that they have the ability to take down US drones. The only thing lacking is the political will.
When you have the ability to shoot down the drones but you choose not to then its not the fault of the guy operating the Drones but its the guy's who is letting it happen.
Strange that in Pakistan everything the Army does, no matter how bad it is, is not criticized or completely ignored!
Guys, US uses Drones because Pakistani Army gives permission. Dont you think you should address the Army instead of blaming a Country on whose loans you survive?
US loves to slam! ;-)
Bravo to Pakistani lawyer who has decided to take the 'BULL' by its horns.
one day they can drone on my home and govt will do nohing
Yes they will slam any report which is against them. They are the goons of this world and how can they accept anything or any report makes them look bad
The lawyer should have to do some business, if not getting clients. Moreover how anybody get publicity. The majority of Pakistanis do not have a good opinion about the lawyers. We have already witnessed how the lawyers beat the clients in the court itself.
O yes Drones are killing the Militants not innocents, so whats the explanation for killing of about 50+ innocents the very next day of Raimond Davis release? Americans have proven to be worse than Genghis Khan
US and its spin doctors trying to "shoot the messenger" rather than providing their own (credible ???) number of civilian casualties. The popularly elected democratic rulers may have cut a deal with the devil but Pakistanis including its armed forces have been protesting against remote-controlled deaths for a very long time.