The Obama administration has made the drone program the centerpiece of its counterterrorism strategy, but a new report reminds us that it often stretches the limits of human rights behind its breaking point.

The numbers, compiled by a human rights group known as Reprieve, tell a chilling story that deserves attention from the other branches of government:

The study said that drones have killed 1,147 unknown people over a 12-year period in Yemen and Pakistan in failed attempts to kill 41 named targets. One example of poor aim was the hunt for al-Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri, who was twice targeted by the CIA, which instead killed 76 children and 29 adults. Zawahiri is still alive.

Pakistani militant Baitullah Mehsud was targeted seven times before finally being killed. The first six misfires killed an average of 27 others.