US aerial strikes “outside areas of active hostilities” have killed up to 116 civilians since President Barack Obama took office in 2009, according to a report by the White House.
The strikes were conducted by drones, traditional aircraft or cruise missiles in Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen and other African countries, shows the report which was released on Friday.
From January 20, 2009 to December 31, 2015, 473 strikes were conducted that killed between 64 and 116 civilians, the report says, claiming the strikes also took the lives of between 2,372 and 2,581 combatants.
The report acknowledges that the civilian death toll provided by human rights organizations “generally estimates significantly higher figures.”
“As the statement today from the DNI (Director of National Intelligence) notes, in releasing these figures, the US Government also acknowledges that there are differences between US Government assessments and reporting from…