The Pakistani government says the number of non-combatant civilians killed in US Predator Drone strikes is far fewer than the numbers put out by NGOs and human rights organizations – just three percent of people killed in drone strikes since 2008 are civilians.

The Pakistan Defense Ministry said 317 drone strikes have killed 2,160 Islamist militants and 67 civilians since 2008.  Islamabad did not specify why its estimate is much lower than previous numbers.  

The London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism says US drones have killed at least 300 civilians in Pakistan since 2008.  The Washington-based New America Foundation puts the figure at 185 civilians.  Such estimates are often compiled from news media reports about the attacks.

Publicly, the use of drone attacks to target Islamists and militants is a sore spot between the US and Pakistan.  They’re highly unpopular as only 17 percent of Pakistanis approve of them.  Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif last month called on President Barack Obama to end the drone attacks.

But behind closed doors, Pakistani officials have endorsed the US drone strikes and even suggested targets to the Americans.