Drone Strikes

[Taylor]

Long read, but well worth it. Heartbreaking and infuriating.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/11/16/magazine/uncounted-civilian-casualties-iraq-airstrikes.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fmagazine&action=click&contentCollection=magazine&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront

TL;DR version: The U.S. military has killed far more civilians with airstrikes than they have reported; the percentage of airstrikes that result in civilian deaths is five times higher than reported; and there is evidence of drone strikes that the U.S. refuses to take credit for that were based on incorrect and/or outdated information, resulting in civilian deaths.

Quote

Such intelligence failures suggest that not all civilian casualties are unavoidable tragedies; some deaths could be prevented if the coalition recognizes its past failures and changes its operating assumptions accordingly. But in the course of our investigation, we found that it seldom did either.

[mtangelsfan]

Yet Phil thinks they are backwards.  

 

[arch stanton]

In fairness, they are

[UndertheHalo]

This country has no shortage of “backwards” people.  

What happened to this man and his family at the beginning of the piece is an unforgivable crime.  Both ISIS and the coalition are guilty.   And it’s a horror that replays itself constantly.