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Berkeley Journal of Social Sciences Vol. 4, Fall 2014

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DRONE CAMPAIGN IN GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM

Mughees Ahmed, PhD

TayyabaMuzammal

Sidra Akram

ABSTRACT

September 11, 2001incident has changed the world fundamentally. President

George w. Bush called it crusade. On September 14, 2001 a bill; Authorization for Use of

Military Force (AUMF), was passed in a joint resolution of the United States Congress

and Senate. In which the President of the United States was authorized to use all suitable

and necessary forces to curb the people, group involved in 9/11.Under the cover of this

authority United States announced Global War on Terror (GWOT).The global war on

terror started from Afghanistan then expanded in other countries. Now drone attacks

circle expanded to seven countries of the world. Drone attacks were controversial in

International law and Human Rights.

Key Words: Brutal Drone Campaign, Global War on Terror, al-Qaeda.

War on Terror

In the Department of Defense of the United States General Counsel J. C. Johnson, in a

speech in the United Kingdom’s Oxford Union entitled, “The War on Al-Qaeda and its

Affiliates: and How it will End?” said “The war on terror is not an endless conflict and the US is

approaching a tipping point after which the military fight against al-Qaeda will be replaced by a

law enforcement operation”. (Johnson&Sarbahi, 2012) But the next day there was a report in

the Washington Post entitled, “The Permanent War,DIA sending hundreds more spies overseas”

In this long and detailed article, the readers were alerted to the planning of the Defense

Intelligence Agency (DIA) for a ten year war against terrorists (up to 2022). This news item

stated that, “The Pentagon will send hundreds of additional spies overseas as part of an ambitious

plan to assemble an espionage network that rivals the CIA in size”. (Campbell, 2013)

Associate Professor and Chairman, Department of Political Science& International Relations

M.Phil Scholar, Department of Political Science& International Relations,.

Research Scholar, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan


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Washington Post published a counter strategy of the argument of Mr. Johnson speech that

“the war on terror was not endless”, this article emphasized on the need to strengthen

counterterrorism efforts to supplement the work of the CIA.

“The CIA is increasingly overstretched. Obama administration officials have said they

expect the agency’s drone campaign against al-Qaeda to continue for at least a decade

more, even as the agency faces pressure to stay abreast of issues including turmoil across

the Middle East. Meanwhile, the CIA hasn’t met ambitious goals set by former president

George W. Bush to expand its own clandestine service.”(Campbell, 2013)

No doubt, The Conservative forces in US administration do not want an end to the war

against terror. The US military activities are not only to curb terrorism but also have many

interior motives. In Cold War of Afghanistan, it was the US military and intelligence that

supported the people which were anti-social and extremist. In 1980s it was again the United

States that supported Osama Bin Laden and his extremist partners to fight against the Soviet

Union. After victory against Soviet Union in Afghanistan, the US intelligence services became

enemy its former allies. After 9/11, US wanted Taliban assistance to kill or captured Osama bin

Laden, after refusal they attacked Afghanistan. Similarly in case of Iraq, UNO found no evidence

of Weapon of Mass Destruction WMD, but United States invaded Iraq to killed Sadam Hussain.

According to Bergen and Tiedmann in their book “The Year of the Drone” drone attacks

are not productive against war on terror. Firstly, drone attacks did not stop the terrorist attacks.

Secondly, drone attacks were against and questionable under international law. Thirdly, the use

of drone attacks is not a strategy to win the war against terror. Finally, “owing to deaths of

innocent the civil society of Pakistan is turned against it. Thus the accuracy and the efficacy of

drone attacks indicate that the cost of these attacks far outweigh the benefits”. (Gerges, 2011)

War on terror, combined US-Pakistan ground operations and drone campaign although

break up the stronghold of terrorist in the northern areas, yet these operations and attacks failed

to check terrorism on the other hand escalated the terrorist acts. Drone strikes had greatly helped

to identify target and killed him but it also had serious drawbacks and effects. “The drone

killings have stirred up a great deal of controversy in Pakistan, provoking intense anger among


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the Pakistani public and stoking heated Anti-Americanism. This so called secret war has become

a focus of both militant range and public protest”. (Hussain, 2010)

No doubt, in this modern era drones are new tool of war, which can killed a known or

suspected terrorists, but these sudden attacks has become a mystery for world peace andstability.

The eight countries where America is currently targeting and spying by drones were listed below

1- Aerial Strikes in Afghanistan:

US drones are consistently used to track down and kill al-Qaeda members, suspected

Taliban and affiliates, which are in Afghanistan. Therefore high rate of casualty by drone is in

Afghanistan. “Wired reported November 2012, 330 drone strikes were carried out by that point

in 2012. That’s roughly the same number of attacks carried out over the course of eight years in

Pakistan from 2009 to 2012, there were a total of 1,160 weapons releases conducted by

unmanned aerial vehicles”. (McKay, 2013)

2-Drone Attacks in Algeria:

Algeria which is also an ally of US and NATO in the war on terror, US considered it a

security threat and launched drone attacks in November 2012. These attacks were against al-

Qaeda affiliates, “during a major hostage crisis at the BP plant in AinAmenas, where 41 foreign

hostages including 7 Americans were kidnapped by al-Qaeda affiliates. Future drone strikes in

Algeria seem improbable, unless the country’s future stability is compromised”. (McKay, 2013)

3-Drone Strikes in Iraq:

Between 2008 and 2011 Iraq was targeted over 48 drone attacks and almost 17,000

armed drone sorties. Iraq was a country which badly destroyed by U.S. drone attacks. Majority

of these attacks occurred in 2008. Since 2011 no official strikes have been recorded in Iraq.

4- Spying and Targeting by Drones in Iran:

“It is impossible to know the extent of our unmanned aerial operationsabove Iran, but

what is known is that Iranianplanes have fired upon unmanned aircraft off the coast of the

Persian Gulf. Iran claims it has shot down drones on multiple occasions, going so far as to air


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photos on state TV.Are we flying drones over Iran? Unclear, but drones are likely being utilized

in a wide spy net which includes high-altitude aerial surveillance and undercover agents”.

(McKay, 2013) US drone attacks detail in Iran is a mystery and there is not clear data and

evidence about this.

5-Drone Operations in Libya:

US launched more than hundred drone attacks in Libya against Muammar Gaddafi and its

armed forces. American drones launched 145 strikes between April and October 2011, on

loyalist targets of ex-regime officials and militia. NATO’s aerial attacks in October were

launched on convey of 100 vehicles when they were trying to escape from Sirte. “NATO

commanders have been reluctant about whether the final strike was carried out with a

drone. Since then, the drones have stayed. In September, Army Lt. Col. Steve Warren said that

US military has been flying Combat Air Patrols consisting of drones since the conclusion of the

Libyan civil war”. (McKay, 2013) This might support in the search for the groups or individuals

that launched attacks on the American consulate in Benghazi.

6-Drone Tasks in Somalia:

World has little-knowledge about US drone campaigns against members of Al-Shabaab

militant organization which is affiliated with al-Qaeda in Somalia. According to The Bureau for

Investigative Journalism, U.S. operations in Somalia remained a mystery. In2012, Bilal al-

Barjawi British-Somali militia leader was killed but not officially reported,Dijboutibase is still

active and U.S drone sorties continued from there. From 2007 to 2012 almost 10 to 23 total

operations occurred, which killed almost 170 persons total including 57 innocent civilians. “The

Bureau of Investigative Journalism counted as many as nine confirmed drone attacks between

June 2011 and today. Fifty-seven innocent civilians died in the raids, the non-profit Bureau

found. The dead jihadists have included several senior members of al-Qaeda or the affiliated al-

Shabaab extremist group”.(McKay, 2013)

http://www.somaliareport.com/index.php/post/1096

http://www.somaliareport.com/index.php/post/1096


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Table:American Actions against Somalia 2005-2013

“Total US strikes 10-23

Total US drone strikes 3-9

Total reported killed 58-170

Civilians reported killed 11-57

Children reported killed 1-3”.

(Chossudovsky, 2013)

This table is drawn from the report of Chossudovsky which is about drone strikes in Somalia. He

presented no. of total strikes; no. of total deaths, civilian’s death and children’s death separately.

7-Targeting and Spying byDrones in Pakistan:

Protests and growing unrest in Pakistan compelled the US Government to pay attention

towards the decreasing numbers of drone strikes in Pakistan. Civil society of Pakistan launched a

large demonstration against the civilian casualties and demanded to abandon the US and

NATO’s policy of conducting signature strikes, or strikes against persons unconfirmed to be

terrorists.

“On official joked to the New York Times that, three guys doing jumping jacks could be

considered a terrorist training camp. The New America Foundation estimates that 337

drone strikes have killed between 1,953 and 3,279 people since 2004 in Pakistan. Of

these, 1,526 to 2,649 were reported to be militants. Using their figures and assuming

reports of confirmed militancy among those targeted are accurate – which is highly

disputable – that would mean the average non-militant casualty rate from U.S. drone

strikes is 18-23%. In 2012, it was under 10%, down from a peak of above 60% in 2006”.

(McKay, 2013)


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Table: Drone Strikes of America in Pakistan 2004–2013

“Total US strikes 362

Obama strikes 310

Total reported killed 2,629-3,461

Civilians reported killed 475-891

Children reported killed 176

Total reported injured 1,267-1,431”


Graph:Reported Strikes under Bush and Obama

This

graph shows the total strikes and strikes during Bush’s tenure 2004 to 2009 and Obama’s era

2009 to 2012 separately.

http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2013/01/03/obama-2013-pakistan-drone-strikes


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8-Drone Strikes in Yemen:

“Since 2002, the United States has been conducting a secret initiative to kill al-Qaeda

commanders based in Yemen. According to the Long War Journal, there have been 61

strikes since the beginning of the program, which have killed 309 terrorists and 82

civilians. Most infamously, drones assassinated Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen – a radical

Islamic cleric who was an American citizen. President Obama said that al-Awlaki had

taken a lead in planning and directing efforts to murder innocent Americans and was

directly responsible for the death of many Yemeni citizens. He had been implicated in the

2009 Detroit airline bomb plot, a plot to send bombs disguised as printer cartridges via

cargo plane into the U.S., and the 2009 Fort Hood shootings where a Muslim Army

psychologist killed 13 and wounded 29, as well as the failed 2010 Times Square bomb

plot”. (McKay, 2013)

Table: American Operations against Yemen 2002-2013

“Total confirmed US operations (all) 54-64

Total confirmed US drone strikes 42-52

Possible extra US operations 135-157

Possible extra US drone strikes 77-93

Total reported killed (all) 374-1,112

Total civilians killed (all) 72-177

Children killed (all) 27-37”



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This table is concluded from the report of Chossudovsky about Us operations and drone

attacks in Yemen. He reported no. of total operations and strikes; no. of total deaths, civilian’s

death and children’s death and no. of injured very clearly.

Table: A List of Children Killed By Drone Strikes in YEMEN:

No. of Children Killed 1to 5 Year Old 11




Total No. of Children killed in Yemen 25

(Miles, 2013)

There were a lot of people killed in drone attacks in Yemen. According to a report there

were 25 children killed in Yemen between the age group of 1 to 20 years. The scholar had

information about the name of children killed in these drone attacks but due to threat of further

uprising did not mention.

Next Target May be Mali:

A regional commander of al-Qaeda, MokhtarBelmokhtar nickname: Mr. Marlboro, is an

Algerian extremist. He is the chief of a group known as Those Who Sign With Blood. Belmokhtar

was alleged to involve in abduction of 32 Austrian, French, German, and Swiss tourists in the

Sahara and demanding ransom of $6.5 million dollar. “Mr. Marlboro for his known involvement

in Northern African cigarette smuggling rings. US claimed that he was directed the attack from

northern Mali. British, French, and American Special Forces are coordinating a search for him

there. Could there be any doubt that drones will soon be flying over the skies of Mali”?

(McKay, 2013)


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Conclusion

A critical analysis shows that drone attacks are counter-productive in war on terror,

seeding further terrorism, creating anti-American among the public. How can it say that drone

attacks are effective against terrorist? In drone attacks terrorist as well as many innocent are

killed, and in some cases as a reaction victims’ family members joined hand with terrorist

organization. In fact, drone attacks are agitating people against America and NATO. Drone

attacks are violation of International law and against the human rights. This research work found

many destructive impacts of drone attacks. No doubt, growing terrorism, suicidal attacks, high

crime rate, political destabilization, attacks on politician, attacks on army official and buildings,

poverty, down spiral economy, security issues, extremism and intolerance in society, attacks on

NATO supply, destruction of infrastructure, bad law and order situation, ethnic-cum-

sectarianism all these problems are emerged again in Pakistan due to drone attacks and

Pakistan’s participation in war on terror.

Drone attacks are clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of an

independent nation state under existing International laws. It is suggested that world community

has to go in International Court of Justice in order to know the legality of drone attacks. In this

way international community can pay attention on this serious problem and can solved this issue

which is a threat to world’s peace.Security Council is the powerful organ of united nation

organization , effected countries can request the Security Council to considered in open session

and debate the question of legitimacy of drones attacks, which is the violation of (Article 2:4) of

the UN Charter.

US fierce drone campaign has spread in eight countries of the world;

Pakistan,Libya,Afghanistan,Somalia, Algeria, Iraq, Iran and Yemen. Drones are utilizing for

spying and target killing in these countries. According to an estimate America has used about

8000 drones in the world in its drone campaign against its enemies. There is a great threat of

drone attacks in Mali as CIA has information that Mr. Marlboro, an Algerian extremist who once

worked as a regional al-Qaeda commander now the chief of a group known as Those Who Sign

With Blood is present in Mali. So Mali is also living under the threat of drone attacks.


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REFERENCES

Campbell, G. H. (2013). The “Global War on Terror” Is Not Endless? A Pan-African

View.Available at Maximilian Forte zeroanthropology.net 2013 06 16 theglobal-war-on-terror-

is-not-endles. Retrieved on September 30, 2013.

Chossudovsky, M. (2013).The Children Killed by America’s Drones Crimes against Humanity

Committed by Barack H. Obama.At http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-children-killed-by-

americas-drones-crimes-against-humanity-committed-by-barack-obama/5320570.Retrieved on

October 13, 2013.

Gerges, A. F. (2011). The Rise and Fall of Al-Qaeda . London: Oxford University Press.

Hussain, Z. (2010). The Scorpion’s Tail: The Relentless Rise of Islamic Militant in Pakistan.

London: Simon & Schuster.

Johnson, J. C.&Sarbahi, K. A. (2012).The Conflict Against Al Qaeda and its Affiliates: How Will

It End?Available athttps://www.commondreams.org/node/89097.Retrieved on September 30,

2013.

McKay, T. (2013).Guess Which 8 Countries the U.S. is Waging Secret Drone Campaigns

Against?Available athttp://www.policymic.com/articles/23708/guess which-8-countries-

the-u-s-is-waging-secret-drone-campaigns-against.Retrieved on September 12, 2013.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-children-killed-by-americas-drones-crimes-against-humanity-committed-by-barack-obama/5320570

http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-children-killed-by-americas-drones-crimes-against-humanity-committed-by-barack-obama/5320570

../AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/AppData/Local/Temp/g%26source=gbs_buy_r%22Oxford%20University%20Press

https://www.commondreams.org/node/89097

http://www.policymic.com/articles/23708/guess

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