A U.S. Predator unmanned drone armed with a missile stands on the tarmac of Kandahar military airport June 13, 2010. REUTERS/Massoud Hossaini/Pool
US Drone Strikes More Deadly To Afghan Civilians Than Manned Aircraft – Adviser -- The Guardian
Study focusing on one year of conflict contradicts claims that robotic planes are more precise than manned counterparts.
A study conducted by a US military adviser has found that drone strikes in Afghanistan during a year of the protracted conflict caused 10 times more civilian casualties than strikes by manned fighter aircraft.
The new study, referred to in an official US military journal, contradicts claims by US officials that the robotic planes are more precise than their manned counterparts.
It appears to undermine the claim made by President Obama in a May speech that "conventional airpower or missiles are far less precise than drones, and likely to cause more civilian casualties and local outrage".
Drone strikes in Afghanistan, the study found, according to its unclassified executive summary, were "an order of magnitude more likely to result in civilian casualties per engagement."
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My Comment: It is hard to assess the validity of such claims because much of the American drone war is classified. A release of some info and intel may be necessary to satisfy these concerns.
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