“The U.S. government’s estimate of civilian casualties is misleading at best and, at worst, a distortion of the reality on the ground,” said Omar Shakir, a legal expert who has extensively studied the U.S. drone program.

Shakir told Salon that he feels the report, in reality, continues to shroud the drone program in secrecy and fails to provide a basic accounting of U.S. policies.

“There is strong evidence that the numbers are significantly higher than what the U.S. has said,” noted Shakir, who is currently a fellow at the Center for Constitutional Rights.

The report “raises serious questions about how the U.S. classifies individuals as combatants and non-combatants,” he added.

Read the rest here.