The UK charity Medact has called for the government to stop purchasing, developing, and deploying armed unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as “drones.”

In its report Medact said that, in addition to the deaths and injuries of civilians caused by drones, evidence was increasing that living under the constant threat of drone attack can lead to psychological damage and that operators of the remote devices can also experience psychological stress.1

There is also evidence that the presence of drones had contributed to the disruption of public health programmes, such as polio vaccinations in parts of Pakistan.

The use of drones had risen exponentially over the past decade, said the report. For the first time in history …