“US drones helping terrorists not civilians”

The civilian population has borne the brunt of the 10-year CIA drone war in Pakistan’s tribal regions.
Pak Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, an Islamabad based think-tank in its annual report reveals that the CIA has killed over 3,459 people through illegal drone operations in country’s tribal belt since 2004. The report says that the militants in Pakistan have exploited the killing of civilians to recruit the surviving members of victim families from tribal region to conduct terrorist attacks against Pakistani and NATO troops across the region. The report recalls that during last six months of past year alone, over 153 people were killed and 74 other injured. The public protest forced the CIA to suspend drone operation for six months. However, the CIA resumed drone strikes when Pakistan military launched ground and air offensive against pro Taliban militants in mid last year. Pak Institute for Conflict and Security Studies says that no official mechanism exists to identify the dead or keep an official record of drone victims. This is because of what analysts call Islamabad’s quote-deceptive policy —— to on the one hand condemn US drone attacks and on the other provide intelligence and coordinate with CIA about hideouts of militants in the country’s tribal region.