Drone victims in Pakistan, 80% civilians

http://edition.presstv.ir/TextOnly/detail.aspx?id=267277 Drone victims in Pakistan, 80% civilians Wed, 17 Oct 2012 19:23:46 GMT Islamabad has announced that contrary to US claims, 80 percent of people killed in drone attacks in the country are innocent civilians. Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik made the announcement on Wednesday. "Talking to reporters outside Parliament, Malik said the total of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacks conducted in Pakistan amounted to 336 attacks, which have brought about the deaths of 2,300 people." He went on to say that 96 cross border attacks were launched from Afghanistan. Pakistani tribal regions are the target of US terror drones, with Washington claiming that its unmanned aircraft are targeting militants. However, casualty figures indicate that Pakistani civilians are the main victims of the assaults. The killing of Pakistani civilians, including women and children, in the strikes has strained relations between Islamabad and Washington, prompting Pakistani officials to send warnings to the US administration over the assaults. Despite Pakistani government’s repeated calls on Washington to end the drone attacks, the US government continues its strikes on the tribal regions of the country. The aerial attacks were initiated by former US President George W. Bush, but have escalated under President Barack Obama. The drone strikes have triggered massive anti-US demonstrations across Pakistan to condemn the United States’ violations of their national sovereignty.