Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases

Today’s Zaman
September 11, 2011

The United States is considering a request from Turkey to base a fleet of Predator drones on its soil for cross-border operations against terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq, a news report said on Sunday.

The Obama administration has not yet made a decision on the Turkish request, the report in Washington Post said. The Predators have been flying from Iraqi bases since 2007 and the US shares data from the planes’ surveillance with Turkey as part of the two NATO allies’ cooperation against the PKK. Now that the US forces are scheduled to withdraw from Iraq by end of the year, this cooperation may effectively come to an end unless new bases are found for the Predators. …

The report came after Turkey announced that it suspended all military agreements with Israel due to Israeli refusal to apologize for killing eight Turks and a Turkish-American on an aid ship trying to break the blockade of Gaza on May 31, 2010. …

Read on: www.todayszaman.com/news-256422-report-turkey-asks-us-to-base-predator-drone-on-turkish-soil.html

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Press Association
August 18, 2011

The US military has sent two more armed Predator drones to the Libya conflict in response to requests from commanders seeking more intelligence-gathering capabilities. …

President Barack Obama approved the use of armed drones in the Libya conflict in April. Since then, they have flown routine surveillance operations, but they can strike targets when needed …

www.independent.ie/breaking-news/world-news/us-to-send-more-drones-to-libya-2851121.html

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Calgary Herald
June 26, 2011

American military engineers are developing a new generation of aerial microdrones, shrinking the unmanned aircraft to the size of insects and birds.

Developers at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio have produced dozens of prototypes typical of a James Bond film, based on the flight mechanics of birds, moths and dragonflies.

The Pentagon has rapidly increased its use of drones in the past two years to gather intelligence and launch missiles over Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Supporters claim they have weakened al-Qaeda and reduced the risk of U.S. casualties. …

The next generation will be autonomous, flying themselves and programmed to search out targets, nuclear weapons or even spot survivors of natural disasters. …

Read on: www.calgaryherald.com/news/canada-in-afghanistan/military+developing+drones+size+insect/5007695/story.html

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