Nissan to lay off thousands of workers as sales drop    Trump picks Susan Wiles as White House chief of staff    Three charged in connection with Liam Payne's death    Israel passes law to deport relatives of attackers, including citizens    Monkey mayhem in South Carolina after 43 primates escape research facility    Russian anti-war teenager faces five years in jail after failed appeal    Uproar in Ghana after president unveils his own statue    BD and INS partner to elevate standards of infusion care in MENAT    Qassim emir launches 52 health projects costing a total of SR456 million    Dubai Design Week launches its 10th edition, celebrating creativity and innovation    Fakeeh Care Group reports 9M-2024 net profit of SR195.3 million, up 49% y-o-y driven by solid revenue growth and robust profitability    GASTAT: Passengers of public transport bus and train soar 176% and 33% respectively in 2023    HRT does not impact life expectancy — UK health body    Liam Payne's body to be flown back to the UK    Arab leaders and heads of state congratulate US President-elect Donald Trump    Neymar suffers muscle tear, out for 4-6 weeks    Suspect arrested for banking fraud totaling SR493 million as Nazaha pursues corruption charges    Al Nassr secures 5-1 victory over Al Ain to edge closer to knockout stage    Al Ahli extends perfect start with 5-1 victory over Al Shorta    Mitrovic's hat-trick leads Al Hilal to 3-0 victory over Esteghlal    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Drone attacks rise under Obama
By Phil Stewart and Robert Birsel
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 14 - 10 - 2009

Under President Barack Obama, the pace of strikes by pilotless “drone” aircraft on insurgents in Pakistan is rising and could pick up further after a White House review of regional war strategy.
There have been 39 drone strikes in Pakistan since Obama took office not quite nine months ago, according to a Reuters tally of reports from Pakistani security officials, local government officials and residents.
That compares with 33 strikes in the 12 months before Obama was sworn in on Jan. 20.
The air strikes, many using “Hellfire missiles,” are credited most notably with killing Pakistani Taleban leader Baitullah Mehsud in August, a much-lauded success that has stoked renewed interest in the potential of robotic warfare.
But as the White House reviews high-tech counter-terrorism options in Pakistan and Afghanistan, critics of drone technology question the effectiveness of targeted killings and the usefulness of a campaign fanning anti-American sentiment.
Henry Crumpton, a former senior official at the CIA and the State Department, called the Pakistan strikes “one of the most widely known secrets that the CIA has.”
The CIA and the Pentagon refuse to discuss the program, which despite successes remains highly unpopular in Pakistan. The air strikes are seen as a violation of national sovereignty and are blamed for killing scores of civilians there.
“The feeling is that the less that is said and written about drones the better, because it just puts more pressure on Pakistan,” said another former US intelligence official, who asked not to be named.
So, even as the United States ramps up training of controllers for the pilotless drones and acquisitions of so-called “unmanned aerial systems,” it is doing so quietly, as it relates to Pakistan.
More Drones, more strikes
Pilotless aircraft are far cheaper than manned fighter jets and can track and target insurgents in places where US troops on the ground cannot.
Their missions also pose no risk to US pilots, who can control them remotely from the safety and comfort of offices thousands of miles away.
The technology is attractive for the same reason in Afghanistan, as US commanders look to keep casualties low. “It's safe to say that DOD's inventory of these aircraft is going to continue to grow, and continue to grow pretty robustly over the next five years,” said Dyke Weatherington, a Defense Department deputy director overseeing acquisitions of unmanned aircraft systems.
He was referring to such aircraft generally and cautioned the majority of the more than 2,000 systems deployed in support of combat operations abroad are designed to gather intelligence, not fire missiles.
Among the “combat-ready” drones are about 100 Predator aircraft and some 15 bigger, faster Reapers that are deployed in support of combat operations, Weatherington said.
Both the Predator and Reaper are manufactured by the privately held General Atomics Aeronautical Systems.
Crumpton, a proponent of the technology, said it gives the United States added speed, stealth and “great precision.”
“The warhead on that (laser-guided) Hellfire missile can put it through a window so you have very little collateral damage. It's just a very precise weapon,” he said.
The Reaper can carry bigger weapons than the Hellfire but those raise the risk of civilian casualties, which Washington is trying to minimize.
The Website www.longwarjournal.com estimates that 447 people were killed in Pakistan in air strikes from Jan-Sept 2009. Less than 10 percent of them were civilians, the Website said, a claim contradicted by others who argue the toll may be much higher.
Analysts agree the air strikes fan anti-American sentiment. But some experts challenge the assumption that the strikes are helping the Taleban recruit in insurgent-controlled areas.
“The people living under the rule of the Taleban are mostly of the view that some targeted action should be taken against the militant organizations,” said Khadim Hussain of the Pakistan-based Aryana Institute think-tank.
Victory by Drones?
CIA Director Leon Panetta signaled after taking his post that the strikes, first ramped up under the Bush administration last September, had been successful and would continue.
Vice President Joe Biden is advocating increased use of drones against Al-Qaeda targets in Pakistan and Afghanistan in the White House review of war strategy, sources say.
Proponents say the drones are working. One in three air strikes in Pakistan killed so-called high value targets in Jan-Sept 2009, according to www.longwarjournal.com.
But even supporters acknowledge that the drone strikes cannot dismantle Al-Qaeda by themselves and have not netted top Al-Qaeda leaders near the stature of Osama Bin Laden or his No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri. That would require better intelligence.


Clic here to read the story from its source.