Under an Obama-era policy, were some male bystanders killed in drone strikes likely counted as 'combatants'?
By Jacqueline Agustin
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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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