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Human Rights Watch says drone strikes in Haiti have killed nearly 1,250 people

119 pointsby e12eyesterday at 10:28 PM58 commentsview on HN

Comments

adamiscool8today at 12:19 AM

The title framing is weird when the report says maybe 5% of the 1250 were civilians, and the same rights group also reports more than 1500 civilians [0] killed over the same period in the horrific and rampant gang violence the government is using this technology to fight against.

[0] https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2026/country-chapters/haiti

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bawolfftoday at 12:20 AM

> Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Tuesday that drone strikes carried out in Haiti over the past year have killed at least 1,243 people, including 17 children, many of whom had no apparent links to the criminal groups the attacks seek to squash.

> Launched by Haitian law enforcement forces and private contractors working for Vectus Global between March 1, 2025, and Jan. 21, 2026, the strikes also injured at least 738 people, according to the organization’s report. At least 49 of the injured appeared to have no ties to gangs or other criminal groups.

The first paragraph made it sound like the majority were bystanders, while the second made it sound like it was 5%.

Maybe that is still unacceptable collateral damage, but it'd be nice if the article was more specific than "many" so we know what we are actually talking about here.

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itsthecouriertoday at 12:13 AM

"Haitian authorities must urgently take control of the security forces and the private companies working on their behalf before more children die,” said Juanita Goebertus, director of the Americas Program at Human Rights Watch."

wow, such an insight, how didn't they think about that before?

yeah, complaining about 1200 killings, without considering the rape/killings/displacement that would happen in their absence by Viv Ansamn

vkouyesterday at 11:35 PM

If we can get AI further into this process, we can fully launder all responsibility from the humans ordering these.

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throwaway5752yesterday at 11:31 PM

Of course it is Erik Prince's company.

to clarify: Erik Prince founded Blackwater, of the Nisour Square Massacre infamy in the GW Bush administration. He is deeply tied to Republican politics, mercenary work, and particularly the Trump administration. He is IPOing an autonomous lethal drone company, Swarmer, and his other company, Vectrus, is behind the events of this article.

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aaron695yesterday at 11:50 PM

[dead]

system7rockstoday at 12:21 AM

If you are a tech guy and working with drones or any AI company that has even a bare relationship to some security firm, you have a few options:

1 - Immediately share all information and intel with the public so as to spare any judicial accountability. 2 - Quit. 3 - Prepare to go to jail for the rest of your life. This is profoundly evil.

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system7rockstoday at 12:24 AM

My comment may not have been posted.

If you work for an AI firm or drone outfit even loosely related to a security defense firm, here are your three options:

1 - Quit, salvage what remains of your dignity. 2 - Share all information you can as a whistleblower to media, the world, etc. 3 - Prepare to go to jail. This is profoundly evil.

Period.

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