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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
Under an Obama-era policy, were some male bystanders killed in drone strikes likely counted as 'combatants'?
Sunday, September 13, 2020
By Jacqueline Agustin
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YES
In public assessments of drone strike casualties during the Obama administration, authorities assumed that any male of military age was likely a combatant. The New York Times, first reporting the policy in 2012, noted that exceptions were made when "there is explicit intelligence posthumously proving them innocent."
Nicholas Grossman, a University of Illinois international relations professor, said the practice systematically underestimated civilian casualties. "Essentially, this assumes that any man (or boy) in the vicinity of a known terrorist who appears to be between the ages of 14 and 60 is also a terrorist," he wrote.
The Trump Administration revoked the rule requiring regular disclosures in March 2019.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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