Monday, June 20, 2011

Drone Strikes Kill 12 in Kurram | Pakistan



Pakistani officials report that 12 people were killed earlier today in drone strikes. The targeted killings took place in a region of the country that until now had not been attacked very often.

The New York Times also runs an investigative piece on the new generation of drones – and other mechanized weapons and spying systems.

“The Pentagon now has some 7,000 aerial drones, compared with fewer than 50 a decade ago. Within the next decade the Air Force anticipates a decrease in manned aircraft but expects its number of “multirole” aerial drones like the Reaper — the ones that spy as well as strike — to nearly quadruple, to 536. Already the Air Force is training more remote pilots, 350 this year alone, than fighter and bomber pilots combined.

“It’s a growth market,” said Ashton B. Carter, the Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer.”

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Afghanistan 101 is a blog of the American Friends Service Committee
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