Drone Roundup October 27-3
This 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 governments 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.
United States
President Donald Trump may have ordered more attacks in Yemen than all previous US presidents combined, according to a new Airwars report. The United States has conducted at least 190 armed actions, mostly airstrikes, in Yemen since President Trump took office in 2017, resulting in a minimum of 86 likely civilian deaths. The US has admitted to killing between 4 and 12 civilians. Airwars also found a US security apparatus taking advantage of restored secrecy.
Recommended Reading: In Just Security, Abdullahi Hassan explains why drawing down troops — but not ending airstrikes — would be of little comfort to Somali civilians suffering at the hands of the Americans.
Armenian – Azerbaijan conflict
The Armenian government is in possession of pieces of a Turkish-made military drone that includes air strike-targeting gear manufactured in Canada. [The Globe and Mail / Steven Chase]
COMMENTARY: “On the ground, Azerbaijan appears to be winning. Its superior military, enhanced by Israeli- and Turkish-made drones purchased with Baku’s considerable oil wealth, has been able to wrest control of a number of the districts abutting Nagorno-Karabakh that had been in Armenian hands. It’s clear the past month’s battles have shifted the status quo in Baku’s favor more decisively than years of intermittent talks and skirmishes.” [WaPo / Ishaan Tharoor]
Taliban
The Taliban are suspected of using a drone to kill at least four security officers in Afghanistan, marking a potentially dangerous upgrade to the insurgents’ arsenal, as violence continues throughout the country while peace talks with the government remain stalled. [The Times UK / Hugh Tomlinson and Haroon Janjua]
If the strike on Sunday was indeed carried out by an armed drone, it would show the proliferation of a method of attack that could have wide-ranging and dire consequences for Afghan, United States and NATO forces. [NYT / Thomas Gibbons-Neff]