War on Isis: 305 jihadists killed by RAF drones in Iraq with 'no known civilian casualties'
As part of
Operation Shader, there have been 227 RAF Reaper strikes in Iraq as of 30
October, and some 800 UK personnel are part of the mission. Over the weekend,
it was reported that two RAF Reaper drones had wiped out two IS checkpoints and
a hoard of explosives.
The RAF
website insists that "the [Reaper] weapons are all precision guided, and
every effort is made to ensure the risk of collateral damage and civilian
casualties is minimised, this may include deciding not to release a
weapon."
Responding
to an FoI request by IBTimes UK, the MoD said: "To date there have been no
known cases of civilian casualties resulting from UK strikes in Iraq. All
strikes take place in accordance with UK Rules of Engagement and applicable
law."
Letta
Tayler, Senior Terrorism and Counterterrorism Researcher at Human Rights Watch
told IBTimes UK: "It's fantastic if the UK has not killed even a single
civilian under Operation Shader. But the Cameron government should provide
evidence to back that claim."
Human Rights
Watch acknowledges that while "drones are extremely precise weapons"
that can avoid civilian casualties if used lawfully, "it's not enough for
the UK to say it hasn't killed civilians. It's the facts on the ground that
determine whether this is the case. The Obama administration, for example, for
years claimed it had killed almost no civilians in drone strikes."
Later today
(26 November), David Cameron will present his case on why Britain should bomb
IS in Syria. A Downing Street spokesman said that Cameron will set out a the
legal basis for RAF air strikes against the militant organisation.
Speaking
during Prime Minister's Questions yesterday, Cameron said: "I am not
arguing that action from the air alone can solve the very serious problem we
have from Isil (IS)". He added that "we need a political settlement
in Syria and a government in Syria that can act comprehensively against
Isil".
In an open
letter to US President Barack Obama last week, four former US Air Force service
members urged a rethink of targeted strikes by unmanned aircraft. They said:
"We came to the realization that the innocent civilians we were killing
only fueled the feelings of hatred that ignited terrorism and groups like Isis,
while also serving as a fundamental recruitment tool similar to Guantanamo Bay.
This administration and its predecessors have built a drone program that is one
of the most devastating driving forces for terrorism and destabilization around
the world."
Source: IBTimes
