U.S. Drone Strikes and Civilian Deaths

We write today as your Administration reportedly conducts a review of United States counterterrorism (CT) policy. Over successive administrations spanning nearly two decades,
presidents have claimed virtually 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. 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. We cannot accept a continuation of the status quo that has repeatedly resulted in the needless deaths of innocent civilians. We strongly urge your
Administration to review and overhaul U.S. counterterrorism policy to center human rights and the protection of civilians, align with U.S. and international law, prioritize non-lethal tools
to address conflict and fragility, and only use force when it is lawful and as a last resort.

While the intent of U.S. counterterrorism policy may be to target terrorism suspects who threaten U.S. national security, in too many instances, U.S. drone strikes have instead
led to unintended and deadly consequences–killing civilians and increasing anger towards the United States. As many as 48,000 civilians across seven countries have reportedly been killed by U.S. strikes over the past two decades.1 At least 14,000 U.S. airstrikes have been conducted by unmanned aircraft since 2002, killing as many as 2,200 civilians—including
450 children.2 Alarmingly, the actual numbers are likely significantly higher given the difficulty of comprehensive reporting and the United States’ consistent underreporting
of these numbers and reported refusal to investigate reports absent “potential for high media attention”.3  These inexcusable figures reflect an uncomfortable truth: in far too
many cases, rather than achieving the policy goal of eliminating hostile combatants to preserve U.S. national security, lethal U.S. strikes have instead killed thousands of civilians,
including children.


For entire letter & footnotes, please link to:
https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2022.01.20%20Letter%20to%20Biden%20re%20drone%20targeting1.pdf