17 June 2012
“After consultation with the Taliban Shura, servant of Mujahideen in North Waziristan Agency Hafiz Gul Bahadur has decided that there will be a ban on polio campaign as long as drone strikes are not stopped.”-public statement by the people of 17 towns in Pakistan’s North Waziristan
People living in North Waziristan refusing to let international medical personnel in to administer vaccines until U.S. drone strikes stop. The people also claim the medical personnel are spying for the United States. Apparently the doctor who got DNA samples from Osama bin Laden did so under the pretext that he was administering vaccine.
Some people believe the vaccination program is meant to sterilize them.
According to a Stars & Stripes article, President Obama’s increased use of terror drones has saved hundreds of jobs for one National Guard unit. The Springfield Air National Guard Base (Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport), in Ohio, retained 804 local jobs by becoming a dedicated terror drone base. However, ironically, current budget proposals from the Obama administration are threatening as many as 1,000 Ohio Guard jobs, including 47 positions at the terror drone base.
According to the Swiss Basler Zeitung, the U.S. is expanding their fleet of UAVs by buying more drones, and drone engines, made by Switzerland’s Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. The Swiss newspaper also said U.S. drone operations in Africa are being conducted from Swiss made Pilatus PC-12 manned aircraft.
Covert U.S. air bases are reportedly in countries such as Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Uganda, South Sudan, Kenya, and Seychelles.
Afghan Mujahideen claim to have shot down a U.S. drone in Afghanistan’s Paktia Province. U.S. led ISAF/NATO claim the drone crashed due to technical problems.
16 June 2012
“These [drone] strikes will ultimately fail to influence the outcome of an Afghan settlement, but they have already succeeded in making the United States more hated in Pakistan than India.”-Michael Krepon, South Asian Program at the Stimson Center
People living in Garbaherey town, in Somalia’s Gedo region, claim the U.S. launched drone strikes, killing at least 35 people.
Despite several articles and reports by the main stream U.S. news media, downplaying concerns over the use of drones to spy on U.S. citizens (several said outright that it was not true), here’s what the Christian Science Monitor said: “By some government estimates, as many as 30,000 drones could be part of intelligence gathering and law enforcement here in the United States within the next ten years. Operated by agencies down to the local level, this would be in addition to the 110 current and planned drone activity sites run by the military services in 39 states, reported this week by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), a non-government research project.”
After a 14 month top secret mission, a space UAV returned to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. It was revealed on 16 June, but the landing took place on 9 June.
It’s called the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, it was originally designed to test new space shuttle technologies, but when the NASA budget cuts scrapped the project the Pentagon took it over, turning it into a super high altitude drone. Exactly what the U.S. Department of Defense is doing with it is still classified!
15 June 2012
It was revealed by Los Angeles Times, that the Pentagon will be testing individual assassination drones in Afghanistan next month. The UAVs can be carried in the backpacks of special forces troops. They are called Switchblade mini-UAVs.
Two U.S. Navy classified drones (aka X-47B) flew test missions from Edwards AFB in California. They were spotted by civilians, who promptly reported them as alien space craft!
U.S. President Barack Obama admitted, in an open letter to Congress, that the United States is at war in Yemen and Somalia, the main weapon of choice being the terror drone.
14 June 2012
U.S. drone strike kills at least three people in Pakistan. Two missiles were fired at a busy shop in a market place in Miranshah: “When the first missile hit the building, I heard cries for help and ran towards it…..When they started rescue work, another missile hit.”-Witness
Russia and Israel to jointly develop new drones: “We are negotiating with Israel. Our aim is to persuade them to start technological cooperation and to develop a product that will be used in both countries, and could also be sold to third countries.”-Dmitry Rogozin, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia
13 June 2012
U.S. drone strike kills as many as 27 people in Shabwa Province of Yemen. CNN said that the U.S. launched at least 14 drone strikes over a two day period.
U.S. drone strike kills four people in North Waziristan, Pakistan.
A global survey by the Pew Research Center showed that the United States is increasingly alone regarding terror drone operations. People in 17 of 21 countries surveyed are against the U.S. drone wars. However, the survey showed warmongering ‘mericans (62%) love the drone wars!
Venezuela revealed a recon drone, jointly built with Iran. It’s called Arpia-001 (Harpy-001).
12 June 2012
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) admitted that their drones are being hacked! Officials ordered new encryption of their new Skylark I UAVs after they found out that video data being sent back from older drones were being intercepted.
The IDF also revealed that Lebanon’s Hezbollah wiped out an Israeli navy commando assault, back in 1997, after they hacked an Israeli spy drone! It’s called the Shayetet Disaster inside the Israeli military. 11 members of Israel’s Flotilla 13 unit were killed when they were ambushed by Hezbollah.
Royal Australian military officials in Afghanistan state that using Israeli made drones is like doing drugs: “The capability? It’s like crack cocaine, a drug, for our guys involved.”-Wing Commander Jonathan McMullan, RAAF Heron drone commander, Afghanistan
Australia gets the Heron drone from Canada, who in turn leases them from Israel.
U.S. Marine General John Allen order an end to drone strikes on houses in Afghanistan!
11 June 2012
“Obama is authorizing murder on a weekly basis, with a discussion of the guilt or innocence of candidates for the ‘kill list’ being resolved in secret on ‘Terror Tuesday’ teleconferences with administration officials and intelligence officials.”-Michael Boyle, former adviser to Obama’s counter terrorism group July 2007-November 2008
USAF General, Norton Schwartz, announced that U.S. drones will be deployed in South America and the Pacific. They will be used to bolster the U.S. combat commands in those regions, known as U.S. Southern Command, and U.S. Pacific Command.
06 June 2012
A U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan killed at least 18 people attending a wedding. U.S. military officials apologized several days later.
Israeli officials refused to apologize for killing nine Turkish citizens, in the 2010 Gaza blockade runner incident. This after it was revealed that the IDF knew the activists on the Turkish ship were not armed, because their own Israeli drone recon mission showed they were not armed!
04 June 2012
U.S. drone strike kills at least 15 people in North Waziristan, Pakistan. U.S. officials claim one of those killed was al Qaeda’s second-in-command (how many times are we gonna hear that claim?).