• Home
  • Politics
  • News
  • Business
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
  • Education
  • Opinion
Friday, 24 March, 2023
  • Login
topfmonline.com
 
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports
  • Education
  • Technology
  • Foreign
No Result
View All Result
topfmonline.com
No Result
View All Result
Home Foreign

US defence chief orders military to better protect civilians

Lloyd Austin’s memo comes amid condemnation of US drone attacks that killed civilians in Middle East, Afghanistan.

TOPFM NEWS by TOPFM NEWS
January 28, 2022
in Foreign
A A
0
US defence chief orders military to better protect civilians
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has issued a directive ordering the United States military to do more to protect civilians from harm in drone attacks and other combat operations.

In a two-page memo to top Pentagon civilian and military officials, Austin on Thursday ordered a comprehensive overhaul of the US Defense Department’s posture towards protecting civilians in conflict zones.

“The protection of innocent civilians in the conduct of our operations remains vital to the ultimate success of our operations and as a significant strategic and moral imperative,” the memo reads.

The defence secretary asked for an action plan from the Joint Chiefs of Staff to prevent harm to civilians and improve US responses when such incidents occur. That plan is due within 90 days.

Austin also ordered the creation of a civilian “center of excellence” to advance US knowledge and the military’s thinking on “preventing, mitigating and responding to civilian harm”.

“The end of our military mission in Afghanistan and our transition in Iraq to an advisory capacity, as well as recent investigations and studies, offer us new opportunities to improve our ability to mitigate and respond to civilian harm,” the memo said.

The directive comes after a US drone attack in the Afghan capital, Kabul, in August that killed 10 civilians, including seven children, drew widespread condemnation and calls for accountability.

The Pentagon initially defended the bombing, stressing that it killed operatives from the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K) – but it later acknowledged that civilians were killed and Austin personally apologised.

The Pentagon ultimately did not punish any troops, maintaining that the August 29 bombing in the Afghan capital did not violate the laws of war and was not caused by misconduct or criminal negligence.

That decision sparked more criticism, and a group of Democratic legislators recently demanded an “overhaul” of Pentagon policies governing drone attacks “to center human rights and the protection of civilians”.

“In too many instances, US drone strikes have instead led to unintended and deadly consequences – killing civilians and increasing anger towards the United States,” the group of 50 US legislators wrote in a letter to President Joe Biden on January 20.

Meanwhile, recently obtained Pentagon documents showed the US air wars in the Middle East have been marked by “deeply flawed intelligence” and “faulty targeting” that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,000 civilians over the past decade, according to a New York Times investigation.

Pledges of transparency and accountability had regularly fallen short, the newspaper reported, as “not a single record provided includes a finding of wrongdoing or disciplinary action”.

Austin on Thursday cited an independent review conducted for the Pentagon by the RAND Corporation, a US-funded consultancy, which found the Defense Department is “not adequately organized, structured or resourced to sufficiency mitigate and respond to civilian-harm issues”.

“There are not enough personnel dedicated to civilian-harm issues full-time, and those who are responsible for civilian-harm matters often receive minimal training on the duties that they are expected to perform,” the RAND report said.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Austin’s memo was intended to prompt a sweeping re-thinking of the US military’s approach.

It also builds on policy work done under previous defence chiefs and Austin’s own command experience, Kirby said, as well as media reporting on civilian casualties.

“The secretary was a ground commander in Iraq and Afghanistan, this is not an issue that he’s not familiar with. So it’s informed by a lot,” he said.

Related Posts

Bola Tinubu’s travel abroad is for him to rest – Spokesperson

Bola Tinubu’s travel abroad is for him to rest – Spokesperson

March 23, 2023
0
Former Pope Benedict XVI dies at 95

Former Pope Benedict XVI dies at 95

December 31, 2022
2
Source: AL JAZEERA
Tags: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
Previous Post

Mankessim: VIP bus ‘mate’ in critical condition after accident with cargo car

Next Post

ECOWAS due to discuss response to Burkina Faso coup

Related Posts

Bola Tinubu’s travel abroad is for him to rest – Spokesperson
Foreign

Bola Tinubu’s travel abroad is for him to rest – Spokesperson

March 23, 2023
0
Former Pope Benedict XVI dies at 95
Foreign

Former Pope Benedict XVI dies at 95

December 31, 2022
2
China to end Covid quarantine for foreign arrivals
Foreign

China to end Covid quarantine for foreign arrivals

December 26, 2022
0
Pope Francis calls for end to ‘senseless’ war in Ukraine
Foreign

Pope Francis calls for end to ‘senseless’ war in Ukraine

December 26, 2022
2
Ukraine war: Drone attack on Russian bomber base leaves three dead
Foreign

Ukraine war: Drone attack on Russian bomber base leaves three dead

December 26, 2022
0
Winter storm leaves at least 37 dead nationwide as residents in western New York remain trapped under feet of snow
Foreign

Winter storm leaves at least 37 dead nationwide as residents in western New York remain trapped under feet of snow

December 26, 2022
1
Next Post
ECOWAS due to discuss response to Burkina Faso coup

ECOWAS due to discuss response to Burkina Faso coup

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

BROWSE BY CATEGORIES

  • Business
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Foreign
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized

BROWSE BY TOPICS

2022 Budget Afghanistan akufo addo Amazon Apiate explosion apple AT&T Bawku Black Stars covid COVID-19 COVID 19 E-Levy facebook Ghana Police Service Google Government health Intel iphone Mahama Majority Microsoft Minority momo NDC news NPP Nvidia OMICRON Parliament police Russia security South Africa Taliban tech Tesla US UTAG vaccine vaccines Verizon WHO Xinjiang

Recent Posts

  • FDA issues alert on two eyedrops which have killed patients in US
  • Talks with China over $1.7bn debt positive, encouraging – Ofori-Atta
  • Donations to Appiate reconstruction being put to good use – Committee
  • Parliament to decide fate of Nana Addo’s new ministers today
  • I’m committed to serve’ – Kwabena Duffuor after filing NDC presidential forms

Recent Comments

No comments to show.

RECENT NEWS

  • FDA issues alert on two eyedrops which have killed patients in US March 24, 2023
  • Talks with China over $1.7bn debt positive, encouraging – Ofori-Atta March 24, 2023
  • Donations to Appiate reconstruction being put to good use – Committee March 24, 2023
  • Parliament to decide fate of Nana Addo’s new ministers today March 24, 2023

MAIN CATEGORIES

  • Business
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Foreign
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized

Entertainment

FDA issues alert on two eyedrops which have killed patients in US
Health

FDA issues alert on two eyedrops which have killed patients in US

3 hours ago
0
  • ABOUT US
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISE

© 2023 Top Media Group - Powered by BackUp Data Systems

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Politics
  • News
  • Business
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
  • Education
  • Opinion

© 2023 Top Media Group - Powered by BackUp Data Systems

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In