A U.S. drone strike targeted and killed Khalid Mehsud, the deputy commander of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or the Pakistani Taliban (TTP). VOA reports that "several of his aides" were also killed, but New America cannot confirm casualty numbers outside of Mehsud. A Taliban spokesperson, Azam Tariq Mehsud, told media that the strike occurred in the Gorwak village of North Waziristan, which has been widely reported. Alternatively, Dawn and the Express Tribune report that officials, presumably from the Pakistani government, claim that the strike occurred in Afghanistan. At this time, New America--given the lack of clarity from the "officials" quoted by Dawn at the Express Tribune and the widely-reported claim from the TTP spokesman of Mehsud's death in Pakistan--is placing the strike in Pakistan, though will change and/or update should more information become available.
U.S. Drone Strikes in Pakistan
On June 19, 2004, the United States undertook its first known drone strike in Pakistan, beginning a covert war that would kill thousands of people. Since that first strike, which killed prominent Taliban leader Nek Muhammad in South Waziristan, the use of drones in Pakistan has remained shrouded in mystery with the government often denying that strikes took place or that civilians were killed. In the last year of his administration, President Obama began to release information on strikes outside of traditional war zones. This site provides a detailed and public look at the drone war in Pakistan by drawing upon credible reporting and government statements to track the drone war.
Total Strikes and Fatality Estimates, by Administration
PresidentTotal StrikesCivilian CasualtiesMilitant CasualtiesUnknown CasualtiesTotal CasualtiesBush 48 116 - 137 218 - 326 65 - 77 399 - 540
Obama 353 129 - 162 1,659 - 2,683 146 - 249 1,934 - 3,094
Trump 12 0 - 4 32 - 60 0 - 2 32 - 66
All Presidents 413 245 - 303 1,909 - 3,069 211 - 328 2,365 - 3,700
Under the Bush administration, the drone war remained relatively limited in Pakistan until 2008, when the administration began to escalate the number of strikes. The Obama administration continued to escalate strikes, peaking in 2010 and then beginning a slow decline until 2016 when the Obama administration conducted only three known strikes in Pakistan. On May 21, 2016, the United States conducted its last drone strike in Pakistan under Obama, killing then-Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in Balochistan. No strikes were conducted in the last eight months of the administration.
On January 20, 2017 Donald Trump became president and inherited a drone war in Pakistan that had halted. On March 2, the Trump administration conducted its first strike in Pakistan ending a more than nine month pause in strikes.
Drone Strikes in Pakistan, by Year and Administration
Strikes020406080100120200420092014
Bush
Obama
Trump
Deaths from Drone Strikes, by Year and Combatant Status
Casualties0200400600800200420092014
Militants
Civilians
Unknown
Where do Drone Strikes Occur?
With the exception of the final strike of the Obama administration, the American drone war in Pakistan has been located in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) along Pakistan’s northern border with Afghanistan. The map below shows the location of strikes mapped to the best of our ability. It can be toggled to view the data as a list.
President
Bush
Obama
Trump
Total Casualties
181
Which Militant Leaders Have Been Killed in Strikes?
Many key al Qaeda and Taliban leaders have been killed in strikes since the beginning of the campaign. The map below shows the strikes in which leaders were killed, and it can be toggled to view the data as a list.
No comments:
Post a Comment