WASHINGTON: For every militant killed in drone attacks, at least 10 civilians also die, says a report released on Monday by the Brookings Institution.

The Washington-based US think-tank acknowledges that it is difficult to confirm sourcing on civilian deaths in drone attacks, ‘but more than 600 civilians are likely to have died from the attacks. That number suggests that for every militant killed, 10 or so civilians also died.’

The report, however, points out that the strikes have also killed at least 10 Al Qaeda and the Taliban leaders.

‘To reduce casualties, superb intelligence is necessary. Operators must know not only where the terrorists are, but also who is with them and who might be within the blast radius,’ the report adds.

‘This level of surveillance may often be lacking, and terrorists’ deliberate use of children and other civilians as shields make civilian deaths even more likely.’

The report notes that beyond the humanitarian tragedy incurred, civilian deaths create political problems.

‘Pakistan’s new democratic government is already unpopular for its corruption, favouritism, and poor governance. US strikes that take a civilian toll are a further blow to its legitimacy -- and to US efforts to build goodwill there.’

The report quotes counter-terrorism expert David Kilcullen as saying that: ‘When we intervene in people’s countries to chase small cells of bad guys, we end up alienating the whole country and turning them against us.’—Correspondent