WASHINGTON: The US Defence Secretary, Lloyd Austin has ordered Pentagon officials to undertake reforms to reduce the number of civilian deaths from military strikes.
In a directive issued to officials of Defence Department, he said the protection of civilians is fundamentally consistent with the effective, efficient and decisive use of force in pursuit of US national interests.
The move has come after several incidents placed a dark cloud over the Pentagon, most recently the erroneous killing of 10 people, including seven children, in a drone strike in Kabul in August last year.
