London, January 11 (RHC)-- A former U.S. drone operator has criticized U.S. and British politicians and military officials for delivering false and misleading statistics about civilian deaths in Washington's drone war worldwide.
In an op-ed published by the London-based The Guardian, Heather Linebaugh slammed the U.S. and British militaries’ drone war in some Muslim countries by raising a number of questions and indicating how difficult it is for drone operators to distinguish militants from civilians.
Linebaugh started her opinion piece by asking, “How many women and children have you seen incinerated by a Hellfire missile?” She then asked: “How many men have you seen crawl across a field, trying to make it to the nearest compound for help while bleeding out from severed legs?”
Linebaugh also underlined the need for all people around the world to know that U.S. and British officials “deliver faulty information, few or no statistics about civilian deaths.” She also questioned the accuracy of the information collected by drones, saying the video provided by a drone is not clear enough to distinguish whether someone is carrying a weapon or a shovel “even on a crystal-clear day with limited cloud and perfect light.”
The U.S. military uses drones in several Muslim countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen. U.S. military officials claim the drones target militants but rights activist and local officials say many civilians are killed in such strikes.
