Drones fly from gov’ts to terrorism grip

Shaimaa Hefzy

The nature of contemporary warfare is changing as drones continue to be used and remotely controlled, especially after they were used to locate Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan in 2000 and then target him in a raid.

Despite the criticisms faced by governments possessing this type of weapon, it is now in the hands of terrorist groups, which suffered as such drones targeted them during Barak Obama’s administration in Somalia, Yemen and northern Pakistan.

Throughout the years that followed the 9/11 attacks, the increased use of drones by US forces has led to complaints that the CIA operations were illegal.

But governments resorted to the use of drones to attack Daesh and terrorist organizations, as British Prime Minister Theresa May defended the use of drones in targeting Daesh’s violence.

However, the widespread use of drones made them available to terrorists themselves, as it has been proved that some non-state actors like Hamas and Hezbollah used Iranian-manufactured drones to conduct surveillance of border areas.

In addition, UAVs have become a major focus in Daesh military operations with varying capabilities since at least 2014. The terrorist group has been able to benefit from the use of UAVs in recent years in intelligence gathering, geographic mapping, border control, and the delivery of explosive, chemical and biological weapons.

Research indicates that in general, Daesh was able to develop UAVs without any support from government actors, although that many of its drones were transported to Syria via Turkey by non-state terrorist organizations.

According to intelligence reports, Dahesh was able to amplify the use and impact of drones, through study guides, and following instructions on modifying and arming drones.

In February 2019, researchers at ICSVE were given the opportunity to view some of the arsenal seized from Daesh, including the drones used against Iraqi and enemy forces.

In addition to the components of bombs, snipers, laptops and pistols used in public executions, among other things, which were presented as war shields against Daesh in a museum in Baghdad, there were also dozens of drones exhibited.