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Leaked Documents Detail Al-Qaeda's Efforts To Fight Back Against Drones
An anonymous reader writes "The Washington Post reports, 'Al-Qaeda's leadership has assigned cells of engineers to find ways to shoot down, jam or remotely hijack U.S. drones ... In July 2010, a U.S. spy agency intercepted electronic communications indicating that senior al-Qaeda leaders had distributed a "strategy guide" to operatives around the world advising them how "to anticipate and defeat" unmanned aircraft. The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) reported that al-Qaeda was sponsoring simultaneous research projects to develop jammers to interfere with GPS signals and infrared tags that drone operators rely on to pinpoint missile targets. Other projects in the works included the development of observation balloons and small radio-controlled aircraft, or hobby planes, which insurgents apparently saw as having potential for monitoring the flight patterns of U.S. drones... Al-Qaeda has a long history of attracting trained engineers ... Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-proclaimed architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, holds a mechanical-engineering degree ... In 2010, the CIA noted in a secret report that al-Qaeda was placing special emphasis on the recruitment of technicians and that "the skills most in demand" included expertise in drones and missile technology.'"
"I don't think that most US citizens are against intervention."
Reuters poll of from yesterday -- 56% oppose intervention in Syria, 19% support intervention.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/03/us-syria-crisis-usa-idUSBRE97T0NB20130903
We know where leadership by an anti-intellectual "strongman" who scapegoats minorities and likes boisterous rallies goes
Drones are far from cheap. Wikipedia puts MQ-1 Predator unit cost (as of 2010) at $4.03 million. How is that cheap?
F-15 Eagle: $30 million
F-14 Tomcat (Top Gun): $38 million
F-18 Hornet: $41 million
F-22 Raptor: $139 million
That's how it's cheap. Throw in the fact that when you shoot down a drone, you don't lose a pilot that cost years of expensive training that could easily run into a fair fraction of a million dollars to replace, and drones are as cheap as dirt.
When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
I think living in the middle east or in any muslim country tends to put you in their crosshairs. Can't you just shoot down the drowns with anti-aircraft guns or a shoulder fired missile?
No, because:
1. They fly awfully high.
2. Shoulder fired missiles like the Stinger are "heat seeking." The exhaust of drones are thermally attenuated through various means because of this..
3. You have to actually see them - either on radar or visually. Since AlQ doesn't have radar, they rely on sight only. The paint schemes on these drones make them really difficult to see visually.
4. If you can't see them visually or on radar, can you hear them? At the heights they fly at and the low noise engine...that's a big-fat No.
Drones aren't your dad's model aircraft.
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BMO
As to the difference between drone attacks and crucifixion, it's very hard for a drone attack to deliberately kill someone in two to three days of agony, while that's the point of crucifixion.
If you burn somebody on 50% of his body, with napalm or conventional weapons, he's going to die in two or three days of agony as painful as anything else he could suffer.
If I gave you a long list of U.S.-supported torturers who were just as bad, would that change your opinion? Start with Pinochet.
The Mujahadeen which we supported were the precursor to the Taliban. That article from the Telegram makes it clear. The "terrorist" describes fighting against the Soviets.
The military document you link to refers to the enemy in quotes by one side or the other. The "enemy" is how one side sees the other. A historian like Herodotus tells the story of each side, without taking sides.
There are some chicken hawks like Richard Perle who want this country to attack supposed enemies in the middle east. I don't buy it. They're Richard Perle's enemies, they're not my enemies.