A group of 50 Democratic U.S. lawmakers on Thursday sent a letter to President Joe Biden focusing on the “inexcusable” number of noncombatants killed by drone strikes in the 20-year so-called War on Terror and urging his administration to “review and overhaul” American counterterrorism policy to “center human rights and the protection of civilians.”
“The continuation of status quo policies that have flouted executive and congressional oversight and resulted in devastatingly high numbers of civilian casualties would run contrary to the Biden administration’s commitments to end our forever wars, and promote human rights and our core democratic values,” the letter – which is led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) – states.
“Over successive administrations spanning nearly two decades, presidents have claimed virtually unlimited, unilateral power to use lethal force around the world and without congressional authorization, killing not only armed actors but also innocent civilians – even American citizens,” the lawmakers add.
“In too many instances, US drone strikes have instead led to unintended and deadly consequences – killing civilians and increasing anger towards the United States,” the signers note.
The letter cites figures by the monitoring group Airwars estimating that “as many as 48,000 civilians across seven countries have reportedly been killed by US strikes over the past two decades.” That figure includes not only drone attacks but all aerial bombardment.
We cannot ignore the terrible consequences of U.S. drone strikes over several administrations. I’ve long called for greater accountability for civilian casualties, and @POTUS should seize this moment to systematically reform our counterterrorism strategy. https://t.co/WHSQl3mycI
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 20, 2022
“These inexcusable figures reflect an uncomfortable truth: In far too many cases, rather than achieving the policy goal of eliminating hostile combatants to preserve US national security, lethal US strikes have instead killed thousands of civilians, including children,” the letter states.
The Democrats’ letter followed publication by The New York Times of video footage of an August 29 US drone strike that killed 43-year-old Afghan aid worker Zamarai Ahmadi and nine of his relatives – including seven children – in the capital city of Kabul.
The US military said the Kabul strike was carried out in the belief that Ahmadi was loading explosives into his car, and that an attack by militants of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) on Kabul’s international airport was imminent. US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Mark Milley called the bombing a “righteous strike.”
BIG:@nytimes obtained previously classified surveillance video of the botched drone strike in Kabul: https://t.co/4e06VVrXDZ
The military *rarely* releases strike footage from civilian casualty incidents. Until now, we had only the military's own descriptions of the video…
— Azmat Khan (@AzmatZahra) January 19, 2022
However, investigations by the Times and The Washington Post, as well as the Pentagon’s own probe, concluded that – contrary to the military’s claims – there were no explosives in the car, and that the men accused of suspicious behavior were engaged in activities related to Ahmadi’s work.
The letter cites the Kabul strike, as well as a March 18, 2019 US airstrike in Baghuz, Syria carried out by a secret drone task force in which around 70 civilians died – and which military officials allegedly tried to cover up – as proof of the need for fundamental reform.
“Without systematic reforms centered on human rights and international law, the status quo will continue to undermine counterterrorism objectives, produce significant human and strategic costs, and erode the rule of law and the United States’ image abroad,” the lawmakers assert.
“When there is little policy change or accountability for repeated mistakes this grave and this costly, it sends a message throughout the US armed forces and the entire US government that civilian deaths – including deaths where there was no military target – are the inevitable consequence of modern conflict, rather than avoidable and damaging failures of policy,” they add.
The letter also comes a day after Reps. Pramilia Jayapal (D-Wash.) And Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) – both signatories – introduced a resolution calling for a new American foreign policy that centers nonviolent solutions and eschews militarism and bloated Pentagon budgets.
Lee, who in 2001 was the only member of Congress to vote against the Authorization for the Use of Military Force that authorized the open-ended and continuing War on Terror, said that “the post 9/11 wars taught us that perpetual war takes countless lives, wastes trillions of dollars, and does not make us any safer.”
In a statement, Warren said that “we cannot ignore the terrible consequences of US drone strikes over several administrations. I’ve long pushed for greater accountability for civilian casualties, and the president should seize this moment to systematically reform our counterterrorism strategy.”
Murphy argued that “when US strikes kill civilians abroad, it’s both a moral failure and national security liability.”
“There’s no doubt Biden takes this issue more seriously than [former President Donald] Trump, but we can and must do better,” he added. “The US should use force only lawfully and as a last resort, and when civilians die, there has to be accountability. That accountability simply has not been happening.”
Brett Wilkins is is staff writer for Common Dreams. Based in San Francisco, his work covers issues of social justice, human rights and war and peace. This originally appeared at CommonDreams and is reprinted with the author’s permission.
Murphy wants more arms to Ukraine and Saudi Arabia. Pardon me if I don’t find his words of concern to be genuine.