Drone attacks on Pakistan by the United States

Drone strikes in Pakistan

Date	18 June 2004 – present (13 years, 7 months and 3 weeks)
Location	Federal Tribal Areas, Pakistan
Status	CIA drone strikes were limited, but are still continuing 67 high-level insurgent leaders and thousands of low-level insurgents killed Destruction of numerous insurgent camps and safe havens 5 drone strikes in 2017

Belligerents

Supported by:

United Kingdom

Strength

~30 UAVs

Unknown

Casualties and losses

9 (U.S. intelligence agents, incl. CIA officers)

~2,000–3,000+ militants killed

Civilian deaths: 158-965

Long War Journal:
158 civilians killed
New America Foundation:
255–315 civilians killed

Bureau of Investigative Journalism:
423–965 civilians killed

Civilian deaths: 158-965

Long War Journal:
158 civilians killed
New America Foundation:
255–315 civilians killed

Since 2004, the United States government has attacked thousands of targets in Northwest Pakistan using unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) operated by the United States Air Force under the operational control of the Central Intelligence Agency's Special Activities Division. Most of these attacks are on targets in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas along the Afghan border in Northwest Pakistan.

These strikes began during the administration of United States President George W. Bush, and increased substantially under his successor Barack Obama. Some in the media have referred to the attacks as a "drone war". The George W. Bush administration officially denied the extent of its policy; in May 2013, the Obama administration acknowledged for the first time that four US citizens had been killed in the strikes. Surveys have shown that the strikes are deeply unpopular in Pakistan, where they have contributed to a negative perception of the United States.