Drone roundup – February 28 – March 3, 2020
This twice weekly roundup, curated by ReThink Media, looks at how the media is talking about drone warfare (and related topics) and what stories are being told.
With little transparency from the US government on this topic, this roundup aims to be as comprehensive as possible, identifying breaking news, trends, developing stories, or interesting narratives. Rethink Media also use media coverage to compile a snapshot of strikes each week. The short version can be read here.
March 1st was the deadline for the Trump administration to file a report detailing any changes to the “legal and policy frameworks for the United States’ use of military force.” Over at Just Security, Human Rights First’s Rita Siemion and Benjamin Haas lay out what to look for, while Scott Anderson and Erica Newland explain why these requirements could land Trump in court for Lawfare.
Over the weekend, the US and Taliban signed a peace agreement. Under the terms of the deal, the U.S. commits to withdrawing all of its military forces and supporting civilian personnel, as well as those of its allies, within 14 months. According to The New York Times, the training of Afghan forces and airstrikes on Taliban militants, will wind down or even cease in the months to come if the accord holds. One question not answered in this agreement: What happens to all the military contractors? We have to remember that Afghans are the ones most impacted by this deal. With that in mind, we highly recommend Ali Latifi‘s interview of Afghans in Khogyani about what they’re thinking.
British troops will return to the Sahel region with a 250-strong unit dispatched to “spearhead” the UN’s fight against “the world’s fastest-growing Islamist insurgency.” Bob Seely, a British MP on the Foreign Affairs Committee, said the troop deployment “seems to have slipped under the radar” with no “clear aims” for troops having been established.