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.

Comments

Does anyone else find it erie that we're

[BitterOldGUy]

getting closer and closer to a plot in a Terminator movie?

Re:Does anyone else find it erie that we're

[BitterOldGUy]

Is there some way that we could get further and further away from the plot in a Terminator movie?

We stop using robotic drones?

Personally, I like them, It saves our troops' lives and I'd really would like to know what the Taliban are thinking when a robot comes for them.

It's not a human with a family. It's not a human that thinks it's going to heaven to 42 virgins or whatever. It's a machine with the sole purpose of killing them. I just like to image that these things are their worst nightmare and it's striking more terror into them than the Taliban and al-Queida could ever have produced in their innocent victims.

Why not use this tech to avoid bombing children?

[HertzaHaeon]

I wonder if this technology will decrease or increase incidents like this:

Harrowing video film backs Afghan villagers' claims of carnage caused by US troops

"Villagers and the UN insist that 92 were killed, including as many as 60 children. Locals say that the US and Afghan troops who came into the village looking for a Taleban commander, with US air support, used excessive force... Local people say that US forces bombed preparations for a memorial ceremony for a tribal leader. Residential compounds were levelled by US attack helicopters, armed drones and a cannon-armed C130 Spectre gunship."

If you can track people in buildings, you'd think you'd be able to tell if they're children.

Re:Asymmetric warfare

[Dun Malg]

perhaps it was just a combination of the surge, elimination of key targets and conversion of sunni groups

Most likely a combination of the three. The surge plus the high value target elimination apparently made the "foreign fighters/al qaeda in iraq" redouble their efforts by escalating their methods. They were always vicious borderline insane fanatics (you'd have to be to go running to Iraq to support your cause), but this escalation apparently made it abundantly clear to the Sunnis that they weren't interested in Iraq and its people so much as killing infidels and infidel "collaborators". When the local Sunnis stop hiding and feeding you and instead run to the police stations and say "hey, the Syrian motherfuckers who killed my neighbor for selling a Pepsi to a US soldier are in the building next door making bombs", well, then you are pretty much fucked.