Thursday, June 3, 2010

Drone Strikes Are Raising Questions (And Opposition) Back Home

Drone strikes in Pakistan are never publicly acknowleged by the US government [Al Jazeera]

Raising the Curtain on U.S. Drone Strikes (An Interview) -- Council On Foreign Relations

The apparent killing of al-Qaeda's No. 3 in Afghanistan, Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, underscores the Obama administration's stepped-up use of unmanned drones to target militants in Pakistan's tribal areas. But despite the successes, drones remain a controversial tactic in the view of some experts. Senior UN officials are challenging the use of unmanned drones by U.S. intelligence agencies. CFR's Micah Zenko, who has studied the use of drones in the Afghan-Pakistan region, says while the technology does have its place in war, the Obama administration must shed new details on the tactic to justify their continued use. "Predator strikes are the worst kept covert secret in the history of U.S. foreign policy," Zenko says. "[S]ince they are such a significant part of U.S. national security strategy, they should be debated, not simply applauded."

Read more ....

More News On The U.S.'s Growing Reliance On Drone Strikes

How drones work -- The Telegraph
CIA Drone Operators Oppose Strikes as Helping al Qaeda -- IPS
U.N. Report Highly Critical of U.S. Drone Attacks -- New York Times
Leading UN official criticises CIA's role in drone strikes -- The Guardian
U.N. Investigator Calls For Halt to CIA Drone Killings -- New York Times/Reuters
Drone Wars -- Foreign Policy
The Truth About Drones -- Newsweek
How accurate are US drones? -- Al Jazeera
Drone pilots have feelings too, you know -- Con Coughlin, The Telegraph

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