Human Rights Groups: Civilian Deaths From Drones Are Not a Rare Thing

The Washington Post reports on a joint effort from Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International to investigate how many civilians are killed by U.S. drone strikes in Yemen and Pakistan: "In Yemen, Human Rights Watch investigated six selected airstrikes since 2009 and concluded that at least 57 of the 82 people killed were civilians, including a pregnant woman and three children who perished in a September 2012 attack. In Pakistan, Amnesty International investigated nine suspected U.S. drone strikes that occurred between May 2012 and July 2013 in the territory of North Waziristan. The group said it found strong evidence that more than 30 civilians were killed in four of the attacks."

Both groups said it is nearly impossible to gauge if the civilians who were killed met the legal standard of posing an imminent threat to the United States because of the secrecy governing drone strikes, The Washington Post also reported.