CIA Cutting Down On Drone Strikes In Pakistan, Fearing Public Outrage -- The Verge
The tempo of CIA drone strikes in Pakistan has slowed significantly in recent months, and anonymous officials tell The Associated Press that the reason has to do with the public's intensifying criticism of the program, which has reportedly killed hundreds of civilians since 2004.
While the attacks are by no means stopping, their frequency has reached a low not seen since the secret program began in Pakistan, with 16 strikes occurring so far this year.
That's a far cry from the peak of 122 strikes in 2010, according to data from the New America Foundation, whose most recent estimates show those strikes killed 97 alleged "militants" and four "others" in 2013.
Current and former intelligence officials tell AP that public scrutiny has led the program to be more focused on "high value" targets, supposedly dropping the controversial practice of "signature strikes," which attack anonymous individuals based solely on behavior observed in the field.
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More News On The CIA Cutting Back On Drone Strikes In Pakistan
Criticism Alters US Drone Program in Pakistan -- ABC News/AP
U.S. scales back drone strikes in Pakistan due to criticism -- Digital Journal
US, Pakistan agree to discuss drone strikes -- International News
Report: U.S. Drops Signature Strikes In Pakistan -- Think Progress
New view of drone death toll -- Peter Bergen and Jennifer Rowland, CNN
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