Killing by US drones questionable

Aerial platforms could become a major security risk in future

Air Marshal RS Bedi (retd)

THE US has been conducting drone operations in a number of countries with a view to eliminating extremists and jihadi elements that are seen as the source of international terrorism. Pakistan has been one of the victims of this policy. Its north-western border, particularly the province of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, seems to bear the brunt of these attacks.

Activists of the Muttahida Shehri Mahaz protest in Multan against a US drone attack on December 26 that killed three suspected insurgents near the Afghan border. AFP

Hundreds of ‘jihadi’ elements and a number of leading persons, including Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Afghan Haqqani leaders have been killed in these attacks. Hakeemullah Mehsud, head of the TTP was killed a few days after the summit meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and US President Barack Obama, despite the issue having been raised by the former.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, are multipurpose technological marvel that can neutralise minuscule ground targets as small as a human body with unmatched accuracy. These are being employed extensively by the US and some other major powers, particularly Israel, for targeted killing of their perceived enemies. While these powers may be eliminating threat to their national security to some degree, their unilateral action without the concurrence of the target country has serious international ramifications, both legal and ethical.

The Americans continue to ignore Pakistan government’s protests against violation of its sovereignty and kill its citizens without any inhibition. But surprisingly, Pakistan has neither taken up the issue at any international level nor attempted to shoot down these highly air interception vulnerable drones. There is a wide suspicion that in this case the Pakistan army unable to subdue the ‘jihadi’ elements despite heavy casualties has perhaps agreed tacitly to look over the shoulder while the CIA continues with its task.

Pakistan is not the only country where the US has resorted to such precise killing of unsuspecting victims from the air. It has been using the drones in Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq and Libya with amazing effectiveness. Thousands of people have been killed in these countries in this manner.

The drones were first used as a weapon of war by the Americans in the late 90s when unmanned and unarmed aircraft were employed in Afghanistan for the purpose of tracking the Al Qaida. But killing by remote control through these drones armed with missiles was only attempted after 9/11. President George Bush authorised the use of armed drones to kill Al Qaida leaders first in Afghanistan and later in Yemen and Pakistan. The first target killing was thus authorised by President Bush on September 17, 2001. Later, President Obama took up the cudgels and went on the offensive in a big way, killing hundreds of targeted people. Obama’s desire to pull out of Afghanistan by 2014 with minimum casualties led him to intensify targeted killing through drone attacks.

Thus, unmanned armed drones emerged as the single-most effective weapon system with the Americans in taking on the Taliban leadership selectively. At any given time, dozens of drones loiter over Afghanistan. They spy on the Al Qaida and insurgents round the clock, and strike as soon as the target is identified. Success of drone strikes in eliminating the militants on the CIA hit list led the US to intensify these low-cost high-dividend operations in a big way.

It would not be out of place to mention here that following the US example, a number of European countries, as also third world countries, have acquired the UAVs. Some countries, particularly the US and Israel, are presently investing heavily in drone projects, for that seems to be the future. The Israelis, like the Americans, have long resorted to the targeted killing of their enemy, the Palestinian insurgents. The Israelis justify their option even if it is tantamount to assassination because of the existential threat they face. The Americans too justify this type of extra-judicial killing as self defence in the war against the Al Qaida. Notwithstanding, this asymmetric warfare is tantamount to summary execution and may, in not-too-distant a future, be considered as a crime against humanity in an undeclared war situation.

There is another aspect of drone operations that needs to be taken note of. The drones have the potential of being used by the so-called non-state actors and terrorists of various hues. The danger also lies in these drones being exploited by lesser nations for devious purposes. Unless some measures are taken, as in the case of weapons of mass destruction, there is a danger of these aerial platforms becoming a major security risk in the future.

Besides, drone attacks raise serious legal and ethical questions. Presently, the powers that be are conducting these operations with total disregard to violation of sovereignty, territorial integrity and the legality of such operations. It’s strange that there is hardly any explicit criticism by any country. Nor for that matter have any of the international forums or the human right organisations raised their voice against such unethical practices by major powers.

However desirable, the elimination of these extremists in this fashion is questionable to say the least. ‘Jihadi’ criminals must not go unpunished but targeting them like this is illegal and unethical. Technological advances outpacing the existing international laws and conventions perhaps require new set of regulations and their acceptability.