“In the
fall of 2013, Rafiq ur Rehman, a school teacher from the remote
tribal region of North Waziristan, in Pakistan, stood with his
12-year-old son, Zubair, and 9-year-old daughter, Nabila, in
Washington, D.C., preparing to challenge one of the U.S. government’s
most secretive means of killing. The Rehmans say a missile fired from
a U.S. drone killed 68-year-old Momina Bibi — Rehman’s mother,
and grandmother to the two young children — in an October 2012
airstrike. Both Zubair and Nabila were present when the attack
happened and suffered injuries. The missile had struck their
grandmother straight on, obliterating her completely. There were no
others killed in the attack and no substantiated reports of
terrorists at the scene. According to the family’s account, Bibi
was killed tending okra while her grandkids played nearby.”
“The
family came to the U.S. to demand answers. They were treated as
honored guests among the human rights community in New York City, but
when they met with lawmakers on October 20, 2013, a total of five
members of Congress showed up. For Pakistani attorney Shahzad Akbar,
who represents 150 victims of the strikes, including the Rehman
family, President Barack Obama’s recent apology for the killing of
two Americans merely underscores the double standard that exists for
civilian death.”
“Mustafa
Qadri, an investigator with Amnesty International, has spent years
conducting investigations in Pakistan, including into the strike that
killed Momina Bibi. Speaking to The Intercept on Thursday, the human
rights investigator said he was pained by the death of Weinstein, but
noted that there are scores of other innocent people who have been
killed in drone strikes. 'Obama’s statement is really moving,'
Qadri said. 'And we welcome that, I welcome the fact he has done
that.' But, he added, 'there are hundreds, potentially thousands of
others who deserve the same apology.'”
Full
article:
Read
also:
Comments
Post a Comment