Source: CounterPunch
by Derek Royden
“On October 7th, 2001, the first reported use of a weaponized unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (or drone) occurred in Kandahar, Afghanistan. In what appeared to be a mistake that would become all too common in the years to come, the CIA’s target, Taliban leader Mullah Omar, was nowhere near the scene of the strike. At the time, many commentators saw these kinds of strikes as a net positive, in that the crews piloting UAVs were far from actual combat and it was believed that such attacks could be more targeted, supposedly resulting in fewer civilian casualties during the then expanding ‘War on Terror.’ The latter argument was already dubious, as from that first unsuccessful strike until today, many innocent people have been killed by drones.” (10/17/24)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/10/17/the-growing-threat-of-robotic-warfare/