YORK -A group of human rights organizations have expressed concern that USPresident Donald Trump’s reported new drone policy increased the risk ofcivilian casualties, and called for clarification.
The groups, which include Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and theAmerican Civil Liberties Union, said the reported policy changes lacktransparency in the decision-making process.
“We are deeply concerned that the reported new policy, combined with thisadministration’s reported dramatic increase in lethal operations in Yemenand Somalia, will add to an increase in unlawful killings and in civiliancasualties,” a joint statement said.
In December, Trump signed the 2018 National Defence Authorization Act. Theact funds the US military but also requires Trump to make known to Congressany changes to previous drone policies by March 12.
The Trump Administration has refused to publicly clarify whether thePresidential Policy Guidance (PPG), issued under former President BarackObama, is still in effect.
Leaks suggest Trump has rolled back the safeguards contained within thePPG, replacing them with guidance that gives both the Pentagon and the CIAmuch greater freedom to carry out strikes in Yemen, Somalia, Niger andelsewhere, it was pointed out.
The reported changes include a relaxing of the “imminent threatrequirement”, which means the US may select targets outside of armedconflict, the standard of requiring “near certainty” that the target ispresent, and an increased role for the CIA.
There has been a sharp rise in the number of US drone strikes in Yemen andSomalia since US President Donald Trump took office, according to a reportpublished in December by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
In 2013, UK-based rights group Amnesty International said the US could beguilty of war crimes by carrying out extrajudicial killings with its drones.