Predator Drones Shouldn’t Be Used To Kill al-Qaeda

The latest example of why we shouldn’t be using Predator Drones as offensive weapons comes in  the form of a mixed blessing. The New York Times reports that the CIA successfully used a drone to kill Hussein al-Yemeni, a high level Al Qaeda target. Problem is, three Americans and one Jordanian intelligence officer were also killed in the process.

This is hardly the first time unintended casualties have resulted from a Drone strike. Hell, sometimes the unintended casualties are the only casualties. That’s what makes this latest kill unfortunate. It’s likely that the strike will be regarded mostly as a success which will encourage the continued use of Drones instead of motivating the military to find a more efficient way of killing Al Qaeda operatives, one where people who just happen to be in the area don’t die in the process.

For more on this read Jane Mayer’s excellent story on Drones in The New Yorker from a while back.

–Jasper Hart

(Associated Press photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)