&host=rt.com&uri=/usa/news/drones-us-afghanistan-civilians/&via=(none)&ua=CCBot/1.0 (+http://www.commoncrawl.org/bot.html))
Intelligence used in drone attacks is often unreliable – news editor
Published: 05 January, 2010, 01:17
Edited: 06 January, 2010, 22:36
US "Predator" drone passes overhead at a forward operating base near Kandahar, Afghanistan (AFP Photo /Joel Saget / Files)
(18.0Mb) embed videoTAGS: Arms, Conflict, Middle East, USA
US intelligence collected for conducting drone attacks in Afghanistan is not always reliable and is, thus, often ineffective, says Jason Ditz, news editor for antiwar.com
“It is a lot of second and third-hand reports from tribesman,” said Ditz. “The vast majority of people who are getting killed are civilians who had nothing to do with any of the militant groups.”
According to Ditz, drone attacks are also quite ineffective. “Of all the attacks that [the US] has launched, they really haven’t killed many high-profile militants, “ Ditz says.
To avoid heavy civilian losses, Dizt thinks it is essential that the US try to improve its targeting strategies.
05.01.2010, 00:14
1 comment
Man involved in CIA bombing may be related to Jordanian royalty – journalistThe man allegedly involved in the suicide bombing that killed 7 CIA agents in Afghanistan last week may be affiliated with the royal family of Jordan, investigative journalist Wayne Madsen says. |
05.01.2010, 04:27
Italian authorities accused of bribing TalibanItalian authorities have come under fire from the US government for allegedly paying protection money to Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. Rumors turned into news after the British Times newspaper reported the story. |
The inescapable fact is that the United States is a nation that wants to win wars of empire building on the cheap- the U.S society has does not the guts to fought wars where real fighting would mean thousands of American soldiers would be killed, maimed. The U.S military will not win wars with drones and mercenaries and with poorly paid ‘volunteer” soldiers because the very premise of volunteer army was based on painless militarism and access to education not getting killed for corporate wars of empire building- so the U.S will fail in Iraq- even though Iraq is now almost off the media radar and the U.S will fail in Afghanistan.
Drones are great weapon platforms for destroying terrorists. If a battleship were moved in range of the terrorists they would be waving white flags at the drones in an attenpt to surrender and stop the four thousand pound shells from destroying them. Perhaps battleships should be reactivated to work along with the drones. Drones would also well serve the Russian military in their quest to destroy terrorists in Russia. Instead of using armed trains, a few drones would do the job much better. Hopefully, in the not too distant future, the terrorists will face total defeat and stop their evil deeds.