INTRODUCTION
US drone strikes in Pakistan have been conducted for over a decade in response to the events of September 11, 2001, the overwhelming majority taking place in the agencies of North and South Waziristan in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). From 2008 their frequency escalated dramatically, polarizing the public debate in Pakistan and internationally. Supporters of drone strikes, including US officials as well as some Pakistanis, argue the strategy is a targeted, precise way of eliminating insurgents who threaten US security and carry out terrorist attacks in Pakistan, with minimum ‘collateral damage’.
