REPORT AIR DATE: Oct. 10, 2011

Amid Criticism, U.S. Increases Use of Drones as Weapons of War

SUMMARY

The U.S. use of drones to find and kill militant targets in other countries has increased exponentially under the Obama administration. Jeffrey Brown reports on the criticism of using remote-control bombing attacks as weapons of war.

Amid Criticism, U.S. Increases Use of Drones as Weapons of War

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PART 2: Does Drone Use Set Precedent for War? »

Transcript

JEFFREY BROWN: Next tonight, remote-control bombing attacks as a weapon of war.

The recent killing in Yemen of the U.S.-born al-Qaida militant Anwar al-Awlaki, with several others, was just the latest example of a high-profile missile attack by CIA drones. In fact, the U.S. has dramatically increased its use of remotely controlled UAVs, unmanned aerial vehicles, to go after targets in hard-to-reach areas, including in Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya and especially Pakistan, where U.S. Reaper and Predator drones have reportedly killed more than 2,000 Taliban and al-Qaida militants.

But they have also stirred protests, including last June in Karachi, where Pakistanis complained too many innocents are killed by errant strikes. And just yesterday in Nevada, protesters outside Creech Air Force Base also condemned the deaths of innocent civilians.

There are also questions about what happens as the technology spreads. Britain and Israel have already used drones. Other nations are in the process of developing their own models.

PART 1

PART 2: Does Drone Use Set Precedent for War? »

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