WASHINGTON - The White House for the first time will release casualty figures from its controversial drone program, officials said on Monday, amid criticism that the airstrikes often kill civilians instead of the intended terror targets.
Lisa Monaco, President Barack Obama's top homeland security adviser, said the administration will publish a review of its air strikes on terror targets worldwide outside of active war zones, disclosing casualty figures for both fighters and civilians.
The planned report comes after a 2013 pledge by Obama to provide more transparency in its drone program that has become a keystone in America's counter-terrorism efforts, amid criticism that the program is too opaque and frequently kills innocent civilians.
“In the coming weeks, the administration will publicly release an assessment of combatant and non-combatant casualties resulting from strikes taken outside areas of active hostilities since 2009,” Monaco said in remarks made during a speech at a Washington think tank.(Agencies)