Thursday, October 15, 2015

U.S. Drone Secrets Revealed (Updated)


Wired: A Second Snowden Has Leaked a Mother Lode of Drone Docs

IT’S BEEN JUST over two years since Edward Snowden leaked a massive trove of NSA documents, and more than five since Chelsea Manning gave WikiLeaks a megacache of military and diplomatic secrets. Now there appears to be a new source on that scale of classified leaks—this time with a focus on drones.

On Thursday the Intercept published a groundbreaking new collection of documents related to America’s use of unmanned aerial vehicles to kill foreign targets in countries ranging from Afghanistan to Yemen. The revelations about the CIA and Joint Special Operations Command actions include primary source evidence that as many as 90 percent of US drone killings in one five month period weren’t the intended target, that a former British citizen was killed in a drone strike despite repeated opportunities to capture him instead, and details of the grisly process by which the American government chooses who will die, down to the “baseball cards” of profile information created for individual targets, and the chain of authorization that goes up directly to the president.1

WNU Editor: This is a huge intelligence leak. The Intercept expose is here.

More News On Today's Intelligence Leak Concerning The U.S. Drone Program

Obama-led drone strikes kill innocents 90% of the time: report -- Washington Times
Nearly 90% Of Those Killed By US Drones Were Not Intended Targets During Five-Month Span: Report -- IBTimes
US drone strikes reportedly killing many more than intended, report says -- FOX News
US spy chiefs hunt the new Snowden: Whistleblower leaks top secret drone assassination program that reveals how 90% of people killed in one 5-month spree WEREN'T targeted -- The Daily Mail
The Intercept publishes secret military documents on drone killings -- Politico
Leaked docs detail expansive drone campaign -- The Hill
A 'second Snowden' leaks to the Intercept about 'drone wars' -- CNN
A Whistleblower Steps Forward on Drones -- The Atlantic
There’s a new Edward Snowden: Terrifying abuses of drone program exposed by anonymous government whistleblower -- Salon
Leaked: 'New Snowden' releases Obama's drone program papers -- RT
'The Intercept' Just Published Secret Documents About Obama's Drone Wars -- VICE
US drone strikes killed more than 200 people to reach 35 targets in Afghanistan -- The Verge
A Massive National Security Leak Just Blew the Lid off Obama's Drone War -- Mother Jones
Whistle-blower Leaks Disturbing Details of the U.S.’s Drone Wars -- NYMag
Congress Must Approve Independent Probe of US Drone Abuses -- Sputnik
US Congress must launch urgent inquiry into Obama’s drone use -- Amnesty International

3 comments:

James said...

The Intel empire strikes back.

James said...

WNU,
I've been going through these papers and to say there are some unusual things in them is an understatement.
A quick observation: That this comes out just when the US and Russia have a little PR duel going on about US air presence over Syria, with the papers subject matter the drone campaign and how poorly it is going, is just a little too neat if you ask me.

War News Updates Editor said...

There is no question in my mind that the U.S. and Russia are now engaged in some form of propaganda/information warfare .... a propaganda battle that started when Western sanctions were imposed on Russia because of Ukraine. Is the Intercept's post part of this campaign .... was it a Russian mole that leaked this intel .... I do not know. But the Intercept's report on the U.S. drone program is a professional piece of work, and it will have an impact in places like Africa/Middle East/Asia. The fact that the administration response to this report has been muted is telling. Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo .... these scandals/government policies became a gold mine for critics to pounce on and to use while criticizing U.S. policy. But this leak .... this is way beyond past scandals. Scores of innocent people have been killed .... you can go back on that.