The death toll from two non-UN-sanctioned US drone strikes in the troubled northwestern Pakistan has risen to 22. The unmanned US plane fired five missiles at a vehicle and a house in Pakistan’s North Waziristan.
The American airstrikes in Pakistan have increased since US president Barack Obama took office in 2009.
US media recently ran a report revealing that Obama had given the CIA the go-ahead to expand such attacks in Pakistan.
Large numbers of people have so far died in the strikes.
Washington claims the attacks target militants who cross the border into Afghanistan to help the Taliban fight US-led foreign forces. But official figures show many of the victims have been civilians.
The developments also come as US planes and helicopters have violated Pakistan’s airspace several times over the past months.
Unauthorized US drone attacks have drawn strong criticism from the Pakistani people and officials.
Several non-UN-sanctioned US drone attacks have killed scores of people in the Khyber Agency tribal region in the past week.
Thousands of civilians are reported to have been killed in about 200 drone raids over the past six years.
A recent report by the Brookings Institution says the illegal strikes have taken the lives of 10 civilians for every militant killed.
The United Nations says the US-operated drone strikes in Pakistan pose a growing challenge to the international rule of law.
Philip Alston, UN special envoy on extrajudicial killings, said in a report in late October that the attacks were undermining the rules designed to protect the right of life.
Alston also said he feared that the drone killings by the US Central Intelligence Agency could develop a “playstation” mentality.
US media recently ran a report revealing that Obama had given the CIA the go-ahead to expand such attacks in Pakistan.
Large numbers of people have so far died in the strikes.
Washington claims the attacks target militants who cross the border into Afghanistan to help the Taliban fight US-led foreign forces. But official figures show many of the victims have been civilians.
The developments also come as US planes and helicopters have violated Pakistan’s airspace several times over the past months.
Unauthorized US drone attacks have drawn strong criticism from the Pakistani people and officials.
Several non-UN-sanctioned US drone attacks have killed scores of people in the Khyber Agency tribal region in the past week.
Thousands of civilians are reported to have been killed in about 200 drone raids over the past six years.
A recent report by the Brookings Institution says the illegal strikes have taken the lives of 10 civilians for every militant killed.
The United Nations says the US-operated drone strikes in Pakistan pose a growing challenge to the international rule of law.
Philip Alston, UN special envoy on extrajudicial killings, said in a report in late October that the attacks were undermining the rules designed to protect the right of life.
Alston also said he feared that the drone killings by the US Central Intelligence Agency could develop a “playstation” mentality.
Source: Press TV
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