International Crisis Group
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South Korea finds images of presidential residence on Kim Jong-un’s drones | Julian Ryall
Two North Korean drones that crashed in South Korea had taken hundreds of aerial photos of military installations as well as the official residence of President Park Guen-hye, authorities in Seoul have revealed.
Presidential security has been stepped up after one of the unmanned aerial vehicles, which crashed near the town of Paju last week, was found to contain images of the Blue House, the target of a 1968 assassination attempt by Pyongyang against the then South Korean leader.
Another, which crash-landed on Baeknyeong Island, off the west coast of the Korean peninsula on Monday, had photographed the defences on the island and the neighbouring islands of Socheong and Daecheong.
FULL ARTICLE (The Telegraph)
Photo: toughkidcst/flickr
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What next for Al-Shabaab? | Global Public Square
Do the two U.S. raids in Africa this month signal a shift from drone attacks?
It’s not possible to tell at this point. The two raids underscore one limitation of drones: they cannot be used in urban settings where the possibility of killing civilians is very high. This would not only violate international humanitarian law, but would be counter-productive, since it would turn the population against the United States and its allies and possibly radicalize others into joining jihadi groups like Al-Shabaab.
FULL ARTICLE (CNN)
Photo: expertinfanty/Flickr
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Listen to Samina Ahmed, Crisis Group’s Senior Asia Advisor, discuss the US drone policy on The Kojo Nnamdi Show’s “Drones Divide US And Pakistan.”
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Drone Strikes In Pakistan ‘Ineffective’ | Sky News
US drone strikes targeting militants in the tribal area of Pakistan have been ineffective at preventing attacks on Nato troops, a new report has concluded.
The International Crisis Group report says that drone strikes have killed a significant number of al Qaeda leaders and commanders of the Pakistan and Afghan Taliban, but also scores of innocent civilians.
Since 2004, there have been at least 350 drone strikes in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) - mostly in North Waziristan, South Waziristan and Kurram.
But the report criticises the killing of civilians through “signature” strikes that target groups of men based on behaviour patterns associated with terrorist activity rather than known identities.
Photo: UK Ministry of Defence/Flickr
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President Obama is scheduled to deliver a speech on U.S. drone policy this Thursday. If you’d like to read up in advance, check out today’s report, Drones: Myths And Reality In Pakistan, which digs down into what the CIA-run program has truly achieved in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
Photos: Flickr/Todd Huffman/Argonne National Laboratory
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“If Pakistan is genuinely committed to ending strikes on its territory, it should realise that its strongest case against the U.S. drone program lies in overhauling an anachronistic governance system so as to establish fundamental constitutional rights and genuine political enfranchisement in FATA.” — from Crisis Group’s recent report, Drones: Myths and Reality in Pakistan -
“The Obama administration should terminate any practice, such as the reported signature strikes, that does not comply with principles of international humanitarian and human rights law. It must also introduce transparency to the drone program, including its governing rules, how targets are selected and how civilian damage is weighed.” — from Crisis Group’s recent report, Drones: Myths and Reality in Pakistan -
“Pakistan’s attitude towards drones borders on the schizophrenic.” — from Crisis Group’s recent report, Drones: Myths and Reality in Pakistan -
“Even with so-called “personality” strikes in which the individual has been targeted based on evidence of identity, accurate assessments of collateral damage are impossible.” — from Crisis Group’s recent report, Drones: Myths and Reality in Pakistan -
“Nine years after the first U.S. drone strike in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in 2004, the U.S. refuses to officially acknowledge the CIA-run program, while Pakistan denies consenting to it.” — from Crisis Group’s recent report, Drones: Myths and Reality in Pakistan