Since 20041, in the primarily Pashtun region known as the Federally Administered Tribal Area in Pakistan, the United States has been engaged in an arguably indiscriminate bombing campaign, using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to target individuals, under the guise of weakening terrorist organizations in the area. According to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, since 2004 there have been approximately 405 strikes, though the actual number is highly a highly classified and well-guarded secret. The program gained traction by being advertised as an effective way to target high-ranking militants with virtually zero civilian casualties. In reality, this is far from the truth. The United States' drone program in Pakistan is not only ineffective, but violates international humanitarian law by wantonly killing civilians and destroying their property, violating the sovereignty of Pakistan, and using UAVs as weapons of terror.
As a result of the attacks on September 11th, the United States took huge steps toward strengthening and extending the reach of its counterterrorism programs. On September 14, 2001, congress passed Joint Resolution 23, commonly known as the Authorization for Use of Military Force, which authorizes "the use of United States Armed Forces against those responsible for the recent attacks launched against the United States."3 The resolution states:.
"That the President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons."4 .
Both President Bush and President Obama to justify the targeted killing of individuals who supposedly belong to "terrorist organizations" in foreign nations where we are not engaged in official armed combat have exploited the broad wording in the resolution.
