Author Archives
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Lawyers Challenge Legal Basis of UK Drone Strikes
A leading firm of UK lawyers has today published a 52-page opinion on the legality of the use of armed drones by UK forces in Afghanistan. In what is sure to cause consternation in Whitehall, Public Interest Lawyers (PIL) argue… Read More ›
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Drone base invasion steps up pressure on those attempting to maintain secrecy
Six anti-drone protesters (myself included) were arrested inside RAF Waddington on Monday (June 3). The protest had three aims; 1) to symbolically breach the secrecy and silence surrounding the British use of armed drones; 2) to bring information about the impact… Read More ›
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After five years of British drone strikes, five basic facts we are simply not allowed to know
Five years ago this week the first British drone strike took place somewhere in Afghanistan. Like the more than 380 British drone strikes since, details of that first strike remain shrouded in secrecy. Although we don’t know the exact day (all the… Read More ›
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Obama speaks about drone wars
On Thursday (23 Oct) President Obama gave a much-trailed speech on counterterrorism, large parts of which focused on the US use of drones. At the same time a ‘fact sheet’ on US policy on the use of force outside declared… Read More ›
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Europe presses US on drones – not to cease but to share
European countries are piling more pressure on the US to allow them to buy armed Predator and Reaper drones. As we have previously reported Germany wants to buy armed Reaper drones from the US and France too has reported this… Read More ›
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First British drone strike carried out from UK RAF Waddington
Less than a week ago, the UK MoD announced that British Reaper drones over Afghanistan are now being controlled directly from the UK. This morning a number of British defence journalists are reporting that the first British drone strike from UK… Read More ›
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Photo essay: Ground the Drones demo
“Every Afghan has a name, war is not a video game!” Six hundred people came from all around the country to take part in a large demonstration against drones at RAF Waddington, the new home of the UK drone warfare. … Read More ›
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BREAKING NEWS: UK MoD confirms British Reaper drones in Afghanistan being controlled from RAF Waddington
The UK MoD has today confirmed that British drones over Afghanistan are now being controlled from the UK. For the first time UK forces can remotely control armed drones over Afghanistan while sitting in air conditioned trailers at RAF Waddington… Read More ›
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As strikes continue opposition grows and broadens
US drones struck in Yemen and Pakistan this past week after something of a pause. On Weds (17 April) US drones hit a house in North Waziristan killing five people including an alleged commander of the Pakistan Taliban, On the… Read More ›
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Why we need you to join us at Ground the Drones demo
Over the past three years Drone Wars UK has tried to highlight why the growing use of armed drones and the concept of remote, so-called ‘risk-free’ warfare, is a perilous military escalation which endangers global peace and security. In the… Read More ›
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Flawed questions undermine new UK drone poll data
Today the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and the University of Surrey’s Centre for International Intervention (cii) have published Hitting the Target? How New Capabilities are Shaping International Intervention. The report examines the technological, ethical and legal issues of unmanned warfare;… Read More ›
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Drones news round-up
It wasn’t that long ago that an article about the use of drones in the mainstream press was a rare occurrence. Now so much is happening that it is difficult to keep up with all the news about drones. Over the… Read More ›
