The Pentagon reportedly is crafting a major new policy designed to cut down on civilian casualties resulting from U.S. military operations and will specifically address the growing trend of innocent deaths caused by allies who have bought U.S. weapons.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper is spearheading the review, Breaking Defense reported Wednesday, and is expected to recommend changes next year.
“Secretary Esper fully supports the effort to evaluate and — where possible — improve our ability to minimize civilian harm in our military operations, and to be transparent when civilian casualties do occur,” Pentagon spokesperson Cmdr. Candice Tresch toldthe online publication.
The renewed focus on civilian casualties comes amid fresh reports out of Afghanistan that a U.S. drone strike inadvertently killed dozens of pine nut farmers last week. And human-rights groups have blasted the Trump administration for selling weapons to Saudi Arabia for use in the nation’s military campaign in Yemen.
Just this week, for example, Amnesty International said that an American-made bomb killed six civilians — including three children — during a Yemen air strike carried out by Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
“It is unfathomable and unconscionable that the USA continues to feed the conveyor belt of arms flowing into Yemen’s devastating conflict,” said Rasha Mohamed, Amnesty International’s lead Yemen researcher.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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