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Sunday, Sep. 13, 2020

Under an Obama-era policy, were some male bystanders killed in drone strikes likely counted as ‘combatants’?

Jacqueline Agustin, Gigafact Foundry
yes

In public assessments of drone strike casualties during the Obama administration, authorities assumed that any male of military age was likely a combatant. The New York Times, first reporting the policy in 2012, noted that exceptions were made when "there is explicit intelligence posthumously proving them innocent."

Nicholas Grossman, a University of Illinois international relations professor, said the practice systematically underestimated civilian casualties. "Essentially, this assumes that any man (or boy) in the vicinity of a known terrorist who appears to be between the ages of 14 and 60 is also a terrorist," he wrote.

The Trump Administration revoked the rule requiring regular disclosures in March 2019.

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