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tdford333

Daniel Byman | Why Drones Work | Foreign Affairs - 0 views

www.foreignaffairs.com/...why-drones-work

shared by tdford333 on 08 Mar 15 - No Cached
  • Whereas President George W. Bush oversaw fewer than 50 drone strikes during his tenure, Obama has signed off on over 400 of them in the last four years
  • And they have done so at little financial cost, at no risk to U.S. forces, and with fewer civilian casualties than many alternative methods would have caused.
  • So drone warfare is here to stay, and it is likely to expand in the years to come as other countries’ capabilities catch up with those of the United States.
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • Critics of drone strikes often fail to take into account the fact that the alternatives are either too risky or unrealistic.
  • Even the most unfavorable estimates of drone casualties reveal that the ratio of civilian to militant deaths is lower than it would be for other forms of strikes.
  • signature strikes,” which target not specific individuals but instead groups engaged in suspicious activities.
  • After a strike in Pakistan, militants often cordon off the area, remove their dead, and admit only local reporters sympathetic to their cause or decide on a body count themselves. The U.S. media often then draw on such faulty reporting to give the illusion of having used multiple sources. As a result, statistics on civilians killed by drones are often inflated.
  • data show that drones are more discriminate than other types of force.
  • Yemen’s former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, also at times allowed drone strikes in his country and even covered for them by telling the public that they were conducted by the Yemeni air force.
  • As officials in both Pakistan and Yemen realize, U.S. drone strikes help their governments by targeting common enemies.
  • A 2012 poll found that 74 percent of Pakistanis viewed the United States as their enemy, likely in part because of the ongoing drone campaign. Similarly, in Yemen, as the scholar Gregory Johnsen has pointed out, drone strikes can win the enmity of entire tribes.
  • Many surveys of public opinion related to drones are conducted by anti-drone organizations, which results in biased samples.
  • And for most Pakistanis and Yemenis, the most important problems they struggle with are corruption, weak representative institutions, and poor economic growth; the drone program is only a small part of their overall anger, most of which is directed toward their own governments.
tdford333

Everything you need to know about the drone debate, in one FAQ - The Washington Post - 0 views

www.washingtonpost.com/...ut-the-drone-debate-in-one-faq

shared by tdford333 on 08 Mar 15 - No Cached
  • "drone" has come to refer to unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), which are UAVs equipped with combat capabilities, most commonly the ability to launch missiles.
  • Predators were deployed to Afghanistan almost immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and on Oct. 7, 2001 they conducted their first armed mission there.
  • The current program is jointly administered by the CIA and the Joint Special Operation Command (JSOC).
  • ...16 more annotations...
  • Predator drones can carry up to two Hellfire missiles. Those have warheads of about 20 pounds, which are designed to pierce tank armor;
  • Reapers are another story. They feature a maximum payload of 3,000 pounds, or 1.5 tons. That means they can carry a combination of Hellfires and larger 500 pound bombs like the GBU-12 Paveway II and GBD-38 JDAM. Those have an "effective casualty radius" of about 200 feet.
  • From 2008 through October 2012, there were 1,015 strikes in Afghanistan, 48 in Iraq, and at least 105 in Libya
  • Primarily al-Qaeda and its affiliates. That includes al-Shaabab in Somalia, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (which works in Yemen), and the Haqqani Network in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
  • Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born al-Qaeda operative in Yemen, was killed in a drone strike in 2011, as was his American-born 17-year-old son
  • Ahmed Hijazi, also an American citizen based in Yemen, was killed in 2002. 
  • The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) will prepare lists of potential targets, which will be reviewed every three months by a panel of intelligence analysts and military officials. They are then passed along to a panel at the National Security Council, currently helmed by CIA director nominee Brennan, and then to Obama for final approval.
  • There is, however, substantial evidence that the percentage of casualties borne by civilians is much lower with drone strikes than with just about any other kind of military intervention
  • It derives the authority for the strikes from the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) passed in the wake of 9/11, which grants the government broad powers against al-Qaeda.
  • allows states to make war in the interest of self-defense
  • Critics, like UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, summary or arbitrary executions Christof Heyns, say that this defense is a stretch, and the killings plainly run afoul of the laws of war and international human rights treaties.
  • Only the United States and the United Kingdom (which assists in the Pakistan drone effort) currently use drones in combat
  • All told, the GAO estimates that 76 countries, at least, have drone technology.
  • The Yemeni government quietly agreed to the strikes
  • Citizens in both countries deplore the campaigns.
  • there are deeper doubts as to whether the strategy is recruiting more militants than it kills, by turning local populations against the United States.
tdford333

Monthly Drone Report, March 2015: US drone strikes drop 50% as chaos envelops Yemen | T... - 0 views

www.thebureauinvestigates.com/...kes-halve-chaos-envelops-yemen

Yemen drone

shared by tdford333 on 03 Apr 15 - No Cached
  • Monthly Drone Report, March 2015: US drone strikes drop 50% as chaos envelops Yemen
  • tdford333 on 03 Apr 15
     
    Drone strikes and casualties dropped by about 50% in the first quarter of 2015, compared with the final three months of 2014. US officials told the Associated Press that CIA drone strikes would continue but that there would be "fewer of them", amid concerns about the lack of on-the-ground intelligence or coordinating partners.
aromo0

Drone strikes in Yemen Archives - The Bureau of Investigative Journalism - 0 views

www.thebureauinvestigates.com/...drones-yemen

strikes yemen drones archives

shared by aromo0 on 27 Jan 16 - Cached
  • aromo0 on 27 Jan 16
     
    Site offers information on the drone strikes in Yemen and data charts depicting who is dying. Other links on website lead to other news articles relating to drone strikes in other countries as well such as Pakistan. 
  • aromo0 on 28 Jan 16
     
    Site offers information on the drone strikes in Yemen and data charts depicting who is dying. Other links on website lead to other news articles relating to drone strikes in other countries as well such as Pakistan. 
tdford333

Almost 2,500 Now Killed by Covert US Drone Strikes Since Obama Inauguration Six Years A... - 0 views

www.commondreams.org/...ama-inauguration-six-years-ago

Yemen drones

shared by tdford333 on 27 Mar 15 - No Cached
  • Almost 2,500 Now Killed by Covert US Drone Strikes Since Obama Inauguration
  • tdford333 on 27 Mar 15
     
    At least 2,464 people have now been killed by US drone strikes outside the country's declared war zones since President Barack Obama's inauguration six years ago. According to the BIJ, there has been a 9 time increase in drone strikes since Obama took office.
tdford333

US drone strike in southern Yemen kills 3 AQAP fighters | The Long War Journal - 1 views

www.longwarjournal.org/...yemen-kill-3-aqap-fighters.php

shared by tdford333 on 22 Feb 15 - No Cached
  • US drone strike in southern Yemen kills 3 AQAP fighters
  • The strike is the third in the province this year.
  • AQAP has re-established its presence in Shabwa as the Yemeni government has been weakened by the Houthi rebellion
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • The US has launched four drone strike in Yemen since the beginning of 2015.
  • The US lost its biggest partner in Yemen when the Houthis took control of Sana’a and forced President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi and the government to resign.
  • US officials have insisted that counterterrorism operations against AQAP will continue.
  • President Obama previously praised the US counterterrorism strategy in Yemen as “one that we have successfully pursued.”
  • tdford333 on 22 Feb 15
     
    This article is about the a recent US drone attack in Yemen which killed 3 AQAP fighters. Also mentioned are the reassurances of the US that drone attacks will continue.
tdford333

Drone attacks in Yemen mostly hit civilians - YouTube - 0 views

www.youtube.com/watch

shared by tdford333 on 27 Mar 15 - No Cached
  • Drone attacks in Yemen mostly hit civilians
  • tdford333 on 27 Mar 15
     
    This video is about drone strikes in Yemen. According to the local reports, most of the US drone strikes have killed civilians.
tdford333

The 3 Real Problems With Drone Strikes | Cenk Uygur - 0 views

www.huffingtonpost.com/...es-barack-obama_b_2832172.html

shared by tdford333 on 08 Mar 15 - No Cached
  • We have used drones to execute U.S. civilians without a trial.
  • Most of the drone strikes are signature strikes where we have no idea who we're killing.
  • We often do double taps where we kill first-responders and the people trying to help the wounded.
mpatel5

UK launches first drone strike in Iraq against Isis militants - 0 views

www.theguardian.com/...k-first-drone-strike-iraq-isis

drone-strike Britain ISIS Bayji Baghdad Cyprus

shared by mpatel5 on 11 Nov 14 - No Cached
  • mpatel5 on 11 Nov 14
     
    Britain has launched its first drone strike against Islamic State (Isis) fighters in Iraq. An RAF Reaper drone fired a Hellfire missile at Isis forces laying improvised explosive devices near Bayji, the site of Iraq's biggest oil refinery, north of Baghdad, over the weekend, the Ministry of Defence said on Monday.
tdford333

We dream about drones, said 13-year-old Yemeni before his death in a CIA strike | World... - 2 views

www.theguardian.com/...ammed-tuaiman-death-cia-strike

drone strikes yemen

shared by tdford333 on 15 Feb 15 - No Cached
  • We dream about drones, said 13-year-old Yemeni before his death in a CIA strike
  • he lived in constant fear of the “death machines” in the sky that had already killed his father and brother.
  • They turned our area into hell and continuous horror, day and night, we even dream of them in our sleep.”
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • In 2011 an unmanned combat drone killed his father and teenage brother as they were out herding the family’s camels.
  • the Tuaiman men have been involved in pushing back against the Houthis.
  • Maqdad said the family had been wrongly associated with al-Qaida, and family members strongly deny that Mohammed was involved in any al-Qaida or anti-Houthi fighting.
tdford333

Drone Strike in Yemen Said to Kill Senior Qaeda Figure - NYTimes.com - 1 views

www.nytimes.com/...en-killed-in-drone-strike.html

drone strikes yemen

shared by tdford333 on 15 Feb 15 - No Cached
  • Drone Strike in Yemen Said to Kill Senior Qaeda Figure
  • Jan. 31, destroyed a car in Shabwah Province, in southern Yemen, killing four of its members who were inside. One of them, the statement said, was Harith al-Nadhari, an ideologue who had publicly praised the attack on the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.
  • Houthi fighters forced the resignation of President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi on Jan. 22
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • The Houthis, though bitter enemies of Al Qaeda, have publicly opposed American drone strikes in Yemen. But they have apparently done nothing to interfere with the strikes since they took de facto control last month, and the American military has said the strikes will continue.
  • Mr. Nadhari praised their actions and said that France would face further attacks if it did not halt its “aggression against the Muslims.”
tdford333

Yemen drone strike kills Qaeda suspects - Yahoo News - 1 views

news.yahoo.com/-qaeda-suspects-151037884.html

shared by tdford333 on 22 Feb 15 - No Cached
  • Four suspected Al-Qaeda fighters were killed Tuesday in a drone strike in Hadramawt province in southeastern Yemen
  • It was the fourth drone strike since US President Barack Obama vowed on January 25 not to let up in Washington's campaign against jihadists in Yemen despite the country's political turmoil.
  • tdford333 on 22 Feb 15
     
    The article is over the 4th US drone attack in 2015. 4 suspected terrorists were killed in the Hadramawt province in Yemen.
tdford333

Obama's strategy suffers setback in Yemen - CNN.com - 0 views

www.cnn.com/...els-obama-anti-terror-strategy

yemen drone policy

shared by tdford333 on 03 Apr 15 - No Cached
  • Obama's anti-terror strategy suffers setback in Yemen
  • tdford333 on 03 Apr 15
     
    The US had been partnered with the Yemeni government in implementing drone attacks against AQAP members, but now with the decentralization of Yemen's government, the future of US drone operations is uncertain. The political upheaval has caused the US to close their embassy in Yemen, and the departure of US special forces.
tdford333

US drone base evacuated in Yemen - 7NEWS Denver TheDenverChannel.com - 0 views

www.thedenverchannel.com/...-drone-base-evacuated-in-yemen

shared by tdford333 on 12 Apr 15 - No Cached
  • US drone base evacuated in Yemen
  • tdford333 on 12 Apr 15
     
    The Yemen crisis has led to the pull out of US drone base. The future of counter-terrorism in the region is uncertain.
tdford333

41 men targeted but 1,147 people killed: US drone strikes - the facts on the ground | U... - 0 views

www.theguardian.com/...-sp-us-drone-strikes-kill-1147

drones Yemen civillians

shared by tdford333 on 27 Mar 15 - No Cached
  • 41 men targeted but 1,147 people killed
  • tdford333 on 27 Mar 15
     
    A new analysis of the data available to the public about drone strikes, conducted by the human-rights group Reprieve, indicates that even when operators target specific individuals - the most focused effort of what Barack Obama calls "targeted killing" - they kill vastly more people than their targets, often needing to strike multiple times. Attempts to kill 41 men resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1,147 people, as of 24 November.
tdford333

Drone Wars Yemen: Analysis | The International Security Program - 0 views

securitydata.newamerica.net/...analysis

shared by tdford333 on 28 Jan 15 - No Cached
  • tdford333 on 28 Jan 15
     
    This site records Yemen Drone Attacks and air strikes over the course of years. Yemen strike locations are also shown via map.
tdford333

Did Obama's Drone War Help Cause Yemen's Collapse? - 1 views

www.slate.com/...lp_cause_yemen_s_collapse.html

shared by tdford333 on 22 Feb 15 - No Cached
  • There’s long been concern that the strikes have been driving sympathy and support for al-Qaida
  • in the time since the drone campaign was launched, al-Qaida has only grown in size, two pro-American governments have been overthrown, and the country is on the brink of splitting in two.  
  • tdford333 on 22 Feb 15
     
    This is a blog article that raises the question of whether the US drone war in Yemen has caused more harm than good. The author notes how the indiscriminate death of innocents in drone attacks creates hatred for the US.
tdford333

Al-Qaeda franchise in Yemen exploits chaos to rebuild, officials say - The Washington Post - 0 views

www.washingtonpost.com/...4-ba28-f2a685dc7f89_story.html

shared by tdford333 on 12 Apr 15 - No Cached
  • Al-Qaeda franchise in Yemen exploits chaos to rebuild, officials say
  • Elite Yemeni units that the United States trained to hunt al-Qaeda have been scrambled by the government’s collapse. And millions of dollars’ worth of U.S.-provided military equipment has been destroyed in a span of days by Saudi airstrikes aimed at rendering those arms useless to the Iran-backed rebels who control the capital.
  • The vacuum, U.S. officials say, appears to have allowed al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to focus on rebuilding its strength after years of U.S. drone strikes against its leaders.
  • tdford333 on 12 Apr 15
     
    Millions of dollars of US provided military equipment has been destroyed by saudi airstrikes against the Houthi rebels. The power vacuum in the area has allowed AQAP to rebuild itself. U.S. officials said that the CIA's armed drones are still flying over Yemen, prepared to launch strikes against AQAP members.
  • tdford333 on 12 Apr 15
     
    Millions of dollars of US provided military equipment has been destroyed by saudi airstrikes against the Houthi rebels. The power vacuum in the area has allowed AQAP to rebuild itself. U.S. officials said that the CIA's armed drones are still flying over Yemen, prepared to launch strikes against AQAP members.
amarsha5

Video: Drone footage shows what remains of Palmyra after Isil fighters are driven out -... - 0 views

www.telegraph.co.uk/...after-Isil-are-driven-out.html

ISIS Syria

shared by amarsha5 on 31 Mar 16 - No Cached
  • amarsha5 on 31 Mar 16
     
    Drone footage shows aerial views of Palmyra after Syrian government forces backed by Russian airstrikes drove Isil fighters from the site
cbrock5654

The Iraq-Isis Conflict in Maps, Photos, and Video - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...-in-maps-photos-and-video.html

ISIS IS Iraq Syria

shared by cbrock5654 on 22 Sep 14 - No Cached
  • cbrock5654 on 22 Sep 14
     
    This interactive map shows how the territory controlled by the Islamic State (IS) has expanded over the past year. Currently, the group is occupying sections of both Syria and northern Iraq. This map also shows the areas of northern Iraq which have been attacked by American fighter jets and drones. The most strikes have been at Mosul dam; they allowed Kurdish forces to re-take the strategic location.
  • cbrock5654 on 22 Sep 14
     
    This interactive map shows how the territory controlled by the Islamic State (IS) has expanded over the past year. Currently, the group is occupying sections of both Syria and northern Iraq. This map also shows the areas of northern Iraq which have been attacked by American fighter jets and drones. The most strikes have been at Mosul dam; they allowed Kurdish forces to re-take the strategic location.
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