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.'"
Putin claims Al Qaeda is the main echelon of the Syrian rebels, and that Kerry knows this. But Obama has been pushing to arm them for over a year. So here the USA is, about to jump into that fight, on the side of the rebels, against the will of most of We the People.
If Putin is right, the issue of how Al Qaeda is going to shoot down US drones becomes moot, they'll do it with the anti-aircraft weapons Obama is going to provide them. Oh, you might say, but the Senate resolution says we'll vet any group of rebels we support. yes, because they wear labels with faction affiliation on them....