New Bill Would Force Obama Administration To Count Drone Deaths

[jakeXT]

Source: Huffington Post

Drone strikes under President Barack Obama have killed an estimated 2,400 people -- but there has never been an official count. That would change under a bipartisan bill introduced in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

The bill, sponsored by Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Walter Jones (R-N.C.), would require the administration to release an annual count of the number of people killed in drone strikes, as well as information on whether they were believed to be civilians or combatants. The legislation, which is similar to an amendment sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) in the 2014 intelligence authorization bill, would be retroactive for five years.

"It's a way of holding ourselves accountable as well as being transparent to the rest of the world about the drone program," Schiff told HuffPost. Obama has committed to reducing civilian casualties from drone strikes, Schiff said, and "this allows us to account for whether we are meeting that goal."

Supporters include advocacy groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, which simultaneously released highly critical reports on civilian deaths from the drone war in Pakistan and Yemen last year.

Read more: http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/5079508?utm_hp_ref=politics

[Kolesar]

1. Not "late breaking news"

It is from Huffington post/politics page

[jakeXT]

2. Yahoo ?

Who are U.S. drones killing? lawmakers ask Obama

http://news.yahoo.com/who-are-u-s--drones-killing--lawmakers-ask-obama-200459477.html

[Comrade Grumpy]

13. Good try. n/t

[shaayecanaan]

3. that's likely to be a vast underestimate

The only drone pilot to have come public has admitted to 1626 kills, many of whom he believed to have been civilians.

http://www.gq.com/news-politics/big-issues/201311/drone-uav-pilot-assassination?printable=true

That is a single drone pilot. It is worth noting that the combined Taliban/haqqani network is about 70 000 people. If the US military is to be believed then this one drone pilot has managed to kill two percent of the entire enemy all by himself.

In any event any figures submitted by the white house are likely to be bullshit anyway. But good luck to the sponsors of this bill. Someone has to do it.

[asjr]

4. Those two Reps. must be up

for reelection this year.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. The entire House is up for re-election this year. nt

[DeSwiss]

6. ....

- What goddamned fresh hell is this shit? Count? Dead babies!?!?!

Fuck!

[pocoloco]

9. Another Nobel Peace Prize!!!

[another_liberal]

7. It's about damn time too!

If we are going to play God with the lives of innocents all over the World, we should at least have to keep a record of how many we actually kill.

[KoKo]

8. This information should be public. How can there be accountability by

our government by the people unless what is done is on the record.

I wonder if it will pass, though. So many of these bills are touted but then lose on the Repug vote...along with the usual 8-12 Dems who vote "R".

Anyway...the count and legal rationale for the killings should be on the record.

[Daniel537]

10. "We don't do body counts."

Too much work and money, ya see. Gotta spend that on more weaponry.

[ballyhoo]

11. Thanks for this post. I agree 100 per cent. However, now

that Democracy is dead, I'm not certain it matters anymore. I sometimes wonder if we are just in another episode of Hunger Games.

[Lars28]

12. Here's an interactive chart on drone strikes in Pakistan 2004-2013

http://drones.pitchinteractive.com/

[Comrade Grumpy]

14. Sounds like a good bill. It's the least we can do.

[warrant46]

15. More evidence for the War Crimes Tribunal at the Hague

The murdering for the 1% Corporate cabal