Ben Emmerson, the UN rapporteur monitoring counter-terrorist operations by unmanned aircraft, says that the UK’s squadron of 10 Reaper drones, which is now dislocated in Afghanistan, is unlikely to return to the UK after the international military contingent is fully withdrawn from Afghanistan. Most likely, the squadron will be redeployed to Africa and the Middle East to be used against jihadists there. The drones will be based in countries like Nigeria or Djibouti.
Emmerson's 21-page study for the UN's human rights council examines targeted killings in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Gaza and Somalia. Among its main findings is a dramatic reduction in US drone strikes in Pakistan as control is passed from the CIA to the US defense department. At the same time, Emmerson, who has visited Mali right after the military actions with the participation of France there, claims that no drones were used in these actions.
While the number of drone attacks has been declining in Pakistan, they have been increasing in Afghanistan and Yemen. Last year, drone strikes accounted for 40% of civilian fatalities inflicted by aerial attacks in Afghanistan, according to UN figures.
The main argument of opponents of the using of drones is that as far as drones are managed by people who are sitting thousands of miles from the place of the combat actions, chances are big that instead of real terrorists, innocent civilians, including women and children, would be killed as a result of a drone attack.
Ben Emmerson’s full title is UN rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism.
No comments:
Post a Comment