President Obama’s counterterrorism speech at National Defense University left many questions unanswered on American drone policy. While the Center for Civilians in Conflict welcomes his assertions of extensive Congressional oversight for the remote drone programme and looks forward to his continuing efforts to make the programme more transparent, the President’s speech also raises questions about civilian casualties.

Most drone strikes occur in areas largely inaccessible, making it difficult to verify if civilians had been harmed. The lack of conventional U.S. forces on the ground to conduct investigations post-strike means there is little way of corroborating evidence that the strike has indeed succeeded in avoiding civilians.

While questions arise about the transparency of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), the body housed in the Pentagon that would likely oversee these strikes, Congress must insist on full transparency and accountability. In traditional conflict environments, the military is more transparent and self-reflective than the clandestine Central Intelligence Agency. We believe this culture is more appropriate to maintain control of large-scale use of lethal force like the remote drone campaign.

A.A. Bhanbhro

Khairpur Mirs’

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2016