Consequences of Drone Attacks

Declassified Documents Shed A Light on U.S. Drone Warfare in Pakistan

Posted on August 22, 2023 by prizm

by Burkely Hermann, published on Unredacted, July 20, 2023

On March 17th of this year, State Department spokesperson Ned Price was asked by Pakistani news media about unconfirmed reports of a U.S. drone strike in the Pakistani village of Zangara, within the South Waziristan region. Price, who has since resigned from his position, neither confirmed nor denied the strike, stating “we’ve seen reports that Pakistani security forces conducted counterterrorism operations in South Waziristan on March 15. We refer you to the Government of Pakistan for any additional information.” To date, no new information has been released about the potential strike, but, if it were confirmed, it would be the first known U.S. strike in Pakistan since 2018. Continue reading “Declassified Documents Shed A Light on U.S. Drone Warfare in Pakistan”

Impact of Drones in Battlefield

Posted on August 22, 2023August 22, 2023 by prizm

by Cmde BR Prakash VSM (Retd), published Defense Research and Studies, February 27, 2023

Impact of Drones in battlefield has changed the conventional warfare.

Drones are the latest game-changers or force multipliers in modern warfare. Drone warfare started to gain prominence when the US cracked down hard upon insurgents and terrorists soon after the 9/11 bombings using drones to strike at targets. Since then, they have been extensively deployed for surveillance and strikes in the battle against terrorism. The last four years saw several countries using drones in their battles; Nigeria used drones against Boko Haram, Turkey used them in Syrian raids, the UK in Iraq and Syria, and the US in Libya. The latest conflict between Azerbaijan-Armenia again witnessed their deployment in large numbers where they were tremendously effective against the entrenched troops, armour and artillery. Azerbaijan used its drone fleet to destroy Armenia’s weapons systems in Nagorno-Karabakh, enabling a swift advance and victory. Continue reading “Impact of Drones in Battlefield”

The U.S. Still Owes Money to Family of 10 Afghans It Killed in “Horrible Mistake”

Posted on May 21, 2023 by prizm

by Alice Speri, published on The Intercept, May 17, 2023

Nearly two years after the U.S. killed 10 members of an Afghan family, including seven children, in a drone strike that prompted a rare apology from the Pentagon, the U.S. government has yet to make good on a pledge to compensate surviving relatives.

Weeks after the attack, which targeted an aid worker whom intelligence officials had mistaken for someone else, the U.S. made a public commitment to condolence payments and pledged to help survivors relocate. With the help of U.S. officials, some of those survivors made it to California last year, including two of the aid worker’s brothers, Emal and Romal Ahmadi, and their families. Continue reading “The U.S. Still Owes Money to Family of 10 Afghans It Killed in “Horrible Mistake””

Stop Drone Killing, Then Stop the Whole Ukraine War

Posted on May 13, 2023May 13, 2023 by prizm

by Nick Mottern, published on Counterpunch, May 12, 2023

As the Russian military intensifies its drone attacks on Kyiv and Ukraine’s troops increase usage of homemade drones to hit Russian targets, the region and the world acutely need a proposal calling on both sides to negotiate an end to the war. A first step could be for both sides to agree to stop using weaponized drones.

Current commentary discusses advantages, for one side or the other, to reliance on weaponized drones. But the history of drone warfare in the Ukraine and in earlier wars, reveals two crucial points.

First, the notion that using killer drones will somehow provide the winning edge in combat is magical thinking. In reality, their use only prolongs war and piles up dead bodies. This has been true, in fact, wherever weaponized drones have been used, since the first modern-day drone attack was launched, unsuccessfully, by the United States on the first day of its Illegal invasion of Afghanistan, nearly 22 years ago. Continue reading “Stop Drone Killing, Then Stop the Whole Ukraine War”

Drones and the Future of War | People and Power (Video)

Posted on March 12, 2023 by prizm

by William Davies and Rory Challands, published on Al Jazeera, February 23, 2023

The war in Ukraine has seen a proliferation of aerial drones for both surveillance and combat. The military advantages of these relatively cheap systems are obvious – especially for a force taking on a more conventionally powerful foe – and there is nothing so useful to a soldier as knowing what lies over a hill. But does the increasing sophistication of the technology point to a future in which artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons also become commonplace? And if that happens – what ethical questions might it raise? For People and Power, filmmakers William Davies and Rory Challands went to find out.

Remote Killing

Posted on November 22, 2022November 25, 2022 by prizm

An excellent documentary on Drone Killing from CGTN (Chinese Global Television Network)
Continue reading “Remote Killing”

Surviving the Killing Fields, a Worldwide Challenge

Posted on October 16, 2022November 25, 2022 by prizm

by Kathy Kelly and Nick Mottern, published on Common Dreams, October 10, 2022

Awaiting discharge from a hospital in Cairo, Adel Al Manthari, a Yemeni civilian, faces months of physical therapy and mounting medical bills following three surgeries since 2018, when a U.S. weaponized drone killed four of his cousins and left him mangled, burnt and barely alive, bedridden to this day.

On October 7th, President Biden announced, through Administration officials briefing the press, a new policy regulating U.S. drone attacks, purportedly intended to reduce the numbers of civilian casualties from the attacks. Continue reading “Surviving the Killing Fields, a Worldwide Challenge”

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