New ethical questions this week about civilians killed in US drone strikes against terrorists: Amnesty International investigated nine drone strikes in Pakistan over the past year and found that more than 30 civilians had been killed. In a separate study, Human Rights Watch looked at six airstrikes in Yemen since 2009. It claims at least 57 of the 82 people killed were civilians, including children. The Obama administration said the US follows international law and tries to choose the actions “least likely to result in the loss of innocent life.”
The reports came as Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met with President Obama at the White House and renewed his calls for an end to the drone strikes. The two also discussed recent attacks on Christians within Pakistan.