Report: Civilian casualties of drones must be recorded
The legality of the method of drone attacks has come under question in a report issued
today by the London-based Oxford Research Group.
Since 2004, over 1,500 people
have been killed by United States launched drones in over 250 attacks in Pakistan
alone.
Thursday’s report argues that those who use the unmanned vehicles are
required to record the deaths of any civilians who were killed in the attack.
"It
is high time to implement a global casualty recording mechanism which includes civilians
so that finally every casualty of every conflict is identified," wrote Susan Breau,
the report's lead author and a professor of international law at Flinders University
in Australia. "The law requires it, and drones provide no exemption from that requirement."
Listen
to interview by Charles Collins with Susan Breau: