How many drone strikes did the Obama administration carry out by country between 2009 and 2017?
Executive summary
Available reporting shows the Obama administration carried out several hundred strikes abroad between 2009–2017, but counts vary by dataset and which geographies are included: The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ) and related summaries report 563 strikes in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen through 2015/2016 (BIJ-focused reporting cited across sources), while Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)-based tallies cited by analysts give totals in the 473–542 range for “areas of active hostilities” such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria [1] [2] [3]. Sources disagree on per‑country splits and on whether to include strikes in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria in Obama-era drone totals [1] [2] [4].
1. How many strikes? Competing tallies and why they diverge
There is no single agreed count in available reporting. Investigative outlets that tracked covert CIA and other remote strikes focused on Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia report roughly 563 strikes across those three countries in Obama’s two terms (figures reported and summarized by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and cited in secondary pieces) [1] [3]. By contrast, official ODNI-based tallies and aggregated analysts like Micah Zenko compiled counts that put strikes in “areas of active hostilities” (Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and related theaters) at 473 between Jan 20, 2009 and Dec 31, 2015, with another 53 reported for 2016, producing totals analysts cite in the 526–542 range for most of Obama’s tenure [2]. The difference stems from which countries and types of strikes (CIA covert strikes vs. Department of Defense airstrikes, and whether Afghanistan/Iraq/Syria are included) are counted [2] [4].
2. Country-by-country breakdowns: what sources actually list
Available sources consistently call out Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia as primary venues for covert drone strikes under Obama, but they do not present a single harmonized country-by-country table in the materials provided. The Bureau-focused reporting and summaries highlight that Pakistan saw heavy activity early in Obama’s term (an often‑cited figure: 54 strikes in Pakistan in 2009) and that across Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen the BIJ logs amount to about 563 strikes in the period cited [1] [3]. ODNI-derived datasets referenced by analysts cover Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria and produce a different numeric total (473 through 2015 + 53 in 2016), but those ODNI counts are presented by context as “areas of active hostilities,” not as a country-by-country public breakdown in the sources provided here [2] [4].
3. Civilians, methods and why counts matter
Counts are politically and legally consequential because casualty and accountability debates hinge on whether strikes were CIA covert actions in Pakistan/Yemen/Somalia or conventional military strikes in Afghanistan/Iraq/Syria. Investigative reporting (BIJ) associates the ~563 strikes in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen with reported civilian‑casualty ranges (for example, BIJ’s summarized civilian estimates of 384–807 in those three countries), while aggregated studies that fold in DoD/ODNI numbers produce different fatality totals [1] [3] [4]. The method of counting — inclusion of “areas of active hostilities,” definition of a drone strike versus other airstrikes, and the agency responsible — drives divergent pictures of scale and impact [2] [4].
4. Why sources disagree: transparency, classification and agency lines
Differences arise because many strikes were classified or carried out by different actors (CIA vs. military) with different reporting paths; official ODNI or Pentagon reports emphasize strikes in declared combat zones, while investigative NGOs and journalists compile press, local reporting and leak-based logs to capture covert strikes outside those zones [1] [2] [4]. Available reporting notes that Obama-era policy sought internal legal justifications and in some years the White House limited public disclosure, producing gaps that outside trackers try to fill [2] [4].
5. What this means for anyone wanting a per-country table
If you need precise per-country numbers for 2009–2017, available sources offer two main pathways: (a) use BIJ-style databases and reporting for Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia (their compilation gives ~563 strikes for those three countries in the periods studied) [1] [3]; or (b) use ODNI/Pentagon-derived counts for “areas of active hostilities” (which yield 473 through 2015 plus 53 in 2016 — cited by analysts as producing roughly 526–542 strikes depending on inclusion rules) [2]. The sources provided here do not deliver a single reconciled country-by-country table for every nation where strikes occurred from 2009–2017; available sources do not mention a fully harmonized breakdown covering every year and every country in that period [1] [2].
Limitations and next steps: The materials given include investigative summaries, academic overviews and analyst compilations that conflict in scope and methodology; to produce a definitive country-by-country table for 2009–2017 you must pick one source’s inclusion rules (BIJ vs. ODNI) or compile from original BIJ/ODNI datasets. The sources cited above are the best-available public anchors in the provided corpus for those distinct tallies [1] [2] [4].