Islamabad, November 6 (RHC)-- A recent study shows that the number of U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan has surpassed 400, according to media reports. The London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism's (BIJ) report for October 2014 noted that the number of strikes alone in October stands at 18.

The report noted that an average of 3.2 people were killed in each attack. The U.S. tries to weaken the enemy by conducting drone strikes in Pakistan, security analyst Talat Masood told reporters in Islamabad.

Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said: "The government of Pakistan is itself taking a decisive action against terrorism and terrorist elements and therefore believes that these strikes are unnecessary and should be stopped."

Figures released by the BIJ also showed that only 84 people out of the 2,379 killed in U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan since June 2004 were identified as al-Qaeda militants. These figures are in clear contradiction with claims made by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry last May when he said: "The only people we fire at are confirmed terror targets, at the highest level. We don't just fire a drone at somebody we think is a terrorist."

The U.S. claims its drone attacks target militants, but local officials and witnesses maintain that civilians have been the main victims of the attacks over the past few years.