A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone sits armed with Hellfire missiles and a 500-pound bomb in a hanger at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan March 9, 2016. REUTERS/Josh Smith/File Photo
Reuters: U.S. drone pilots defend tactics as Afghans question civilian toll
They are speaking about the same deadly drone war that the United States has been waging this year, but talk to the U.S. military and Afghan civilians and their conclusions about who is targeted are often starkly different.
To the Americans, only enemy combatants were killed by missiles fired from unmanned aircraft in Afghanistan in 2016. Eyewitness accounts, however, along with United Nations reports, suggest dozens of civilians were among the casualties.
"People seem to think we just shoot missiles at random," Lieutenant Shaw, a drone operator in his 20s told Reuters at the U.S. Air Force's base in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan. "But if anything, we are better equipped than many manned aircraft to make sure we have the right guy."
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WNU editor: The U.S. military say one thing .... people on the ground are saying another .... Relations between US and UN strained over Afghanistan war reports (The Guardian).
5 comments:
WNU
The F-4 phantom was officially retired http://www.defensetech.org/2016/12/23/watch-f-4-phantom-bids-fond-farewell-final-flight/
You might find the comments section interesting, a good one below.
Sad to hear ,finally the last Phantom to retire. I'll never forget the hopeless time in Cambodia, engaged with several hundred NVA troops. My unit consisted of two platoons , 25 men, in battle ,then about 30 minutes. Radioman kept trying to reach any one to help us. No answers, and getting low on ammo in the Hot blistering heat. A Phantom finally answered , coming back from a raid in North Viet-Nam, but he let us know he was low on fuel- No ammo,...headed back to ship. We were surrounded and the ambush kept closing in on us. Our M-60's were on the brink of jamming from the constant firirng for so long. The pilot offered to give us a distraction, a Sonic Boom. We got our wounded ready, had to leave 3 -4 of our dead behind. The loud ear shattering Sonic Boom was enough to help us Titally-Hop it , 100-200 feet out of the ambush site. Killing a sniper high up a tree, firing down at us as we put two of our gunners up front . Great F-4 Phantoms, like Lions , they dominate the battle scene, even without Ammo. I , trully believe I would'nt be here today if it wasn't for the Phantom that day. Later, the area was hit with the B-52's as Air force snooper aircraft detected the large numbers of NVA troops in our area, close by. The strike was terrifying , that night,as we thought,we were the Target. As we were trying to re-cooperate quickly, expecting retaliatory contact by they're superior numbers. We'll definitely miss the F-4 Phantom. I served w/ the 1st Cavalry Infantry Division, and 199th Light Infantry Brigade,1970. Best year.
https://www.google.ca/amp/foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/breaking-iranian-f-4-phantoms-wade-into-the-anti-isis-1665411308/amp?client=safari
Thanks for the link Jay. I will be using it later.
Thanks for the link Phil.
Phill,
Glad you stayed in the land of the living. It was a long long time ago, seems like yesterday.
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