File:Pakistan Drone Strikes.pdf

WORKING PAPER

The Drone Wars and Pakistan's Conflict Casualties, 2010

by Jacob Beswick Oxford Research Group

Since the start of 2011 organisations dedicated to reporting on conflict in Pakistan have published their 2010 research. The recording of casualties (here defined as fatalities and not injuries) has received much attention, in part due to the use of unmanned aerial vehicles ('drones') by the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom coalition.2 The focus of this working paper, purposefully left open to debate and amendment in turn, is on civilian deaths caused by drones within Pakistan as reported by eight non-governmental and news organisations. This focus reflects the mission of www.everycasualty.org to be a hub of information and debate on the recording of conflict's casualties worldwide and the organisations that carry out such work. Additionally, it reflects the fact that casualties caused by drones are the common denominator amongst each of the eight organisations discussed.

The eight institutions and their publications examined include: the Conflict Monitoring Centre's (CMC) '2010. The Year of Assassination by Drones': the India-based Institute for Conflict Management's (ICM) 'Pakistan Datasheet": the Long War Journal (LWJ); the New America Foundation's (NAF) The Year of the Drone' project; The News: Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) Pakistan Security Report*: Pakistan Body Count: and Strengthening Participatory Organisation's (SPO) publication. 'Trail of Tragedy' A paper such as this is particularly necessary because, in general, organisations publishing casualty analyses for Pakistan do not refer to each other's work-save for the occasional, and short, praise or contestation. Only a few short news articles ever compare findings and, generally, not in a systematic manner. A comparative approach, such as is taken here, is necessary to reveal similarities or differences between, as well as shared challenges amongst, such studies.

Given the purview of this working paper, and the existing body of work on the subject its objectives are twofold: first, it seeks to be a resource for readers and fellow researchers by providing an informed and informative look into work on civilian casualties within Pakistan. And second, it offers critical insight and constructive recommendations in response to the disparities in reported findings. The first objective is approached through a thorough discussion of each project's scope and methodology. The second objective is approached by discussing methodology in relation to the gaps in counts of civilian casualties (the 'civilian gaps') and what can be done to support such work. This paper concludes with some observations on key challenges facing those attempting to record civilian deaths caused by drone attacks as well as some potential solutions.

Continues....