Aru Pande

In Pakistan alone, the U.S. has carried out 391 air strikes since 2008, according to The Long War Journal. In Yemen, U.S. strikes targeting al-Qaida commanders total 145 since 2002. The figures are based on press reports. Human rights groups have long called for hard numbers when it comes to counterterrorism strikes that until recently the administration refused to even confirm. “Saying ‘just trust us, we have high standards, we are doing the best we can’ really isn’t enough and that they need to be disclosing more,” said Rita Siemion of Human Rights First.