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Advanced Surveillance Tech for Unmanned Drones Credited In Iraq
mathoda writes "Investigative reporter Bob Woodward states that America has developed secret capabilities 'to locate, target and kill key individuals in groups such as al-Qaeda in Iraq, the Sunni insurgency and renegade Shia militias, or so-called special groups. The operations incorporated some of the most highly classified techniques and information in the US government.' The LA Times now reports, 'As part of an escalating offensive against extremist targets in Pakistan, the United States is deploying Predator aircraft equipped with sophisticated new surveillance systems that were instrumental in crippling the insurgency in Iraq, according to US military and intelligence officials.' Part of the capabilities appear to be that the unmanned flying drones can track targets even inside of buildings." Update by J : Bruce Schneier's readers have some thoughts.
Certainly true that the Surge is only partly responsible. If you listen not to fucktard Bush but to General Petraeus' testimony he'll be the first to say that providing a basic level of security - which was the goal of the Surge in the first place - is what allowed movements like the Anbar Awakening to flourish. They awoke on their own, but into an environment hostile to growth.
The same can be said of the Iraqi Police forces and Army - they've been trying to form for years now, but until there was a proper counter-insurgency going, and until someobdy else could relieve them to train, they couldn't make enough progress to be effective.
But in any case, even if the Surge itself is only responsible for a tiny fraction of the reduction in violence, in absolute numbers that's an incredible amount of Iraqi lives saved. And that's something to celebrate - even if you (rightly) oppose the war.