Afghan Drone War Spikes Under McChrystal

Photo of a US drone. Image from Dawn

From The Danger Room:

Since taking over as top commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal has dramatically scaled back the traditional air war, cutting in half the number of munitions dropped from the sky. The unmanned air war, however, has escalated under McChrystal’s watch, reports Spencer Ackerman. Since July 2009, there have been 89 drone strikes in Afghanistan, compared to 61 during the same period last year.

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My Comment: This increase in missile strikes probably stems from a re-focus on the wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the introduction of more UAVs into the theater of operations (how many I do not know, but there has been an increase in UAV production of drones in the past year, and I am sure some of them are being added to operations in Afghanistan/Pakistan), and an escalation in the war against Taliban and Al Qaeda groups in general.

My prediction ..... do not be surprise if drone missile strikes escalate even more as US forces start to surge into Afghanistan this spring, coupled with the introduction of more surveillance and UAV operations in the area.

On a side note, The antiwar movement is starting to notice the effectiveness of drone missile strikes and their role in the wars of Afghanistan and Pakistan.