John McCain Backs Drone Strikes in Pakistan, US Senator John McCain defended Thursday the use of drone attacks against suspected militants in Pakistan, despite the mounting civilian casualties of the raids.
“The drone strikes are part of an overall set of tactics which make up the strategy for victory and they have been very effective,” he said during his visit to Kabul. He did not mention the collateral damage inflicted upon the civilian population.
“I think it should continue, I think it’s an important tool in our overall strategy and we can claim measurable success in carrying out those operations,” said McCain.
The drone attacks, carried out by the US Central Intelligence Agency in cooperation with the Pentagon, reportedly killed over 700 civilians in Pakistan last year.
Drones had “knocked Al-Qaeda and other extremist groups off balance and they have been successful, and we are working more closely with the Afghan government as well as the Pakistan government to make those operations more efficient and less damaging to the civilian population,” McCain said.