Armed drones operated from the UK for the first time

[Insaanah]

27 April 2013 Last updated at 12:52

Armed drones operated from RAF base in UK, says MoD

Armed drone aircraft have been operated remotely from Britain for the first time, the Ministry of Defence has said.

It said Reaper drones had flown missions controlled from RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, where campaign groups are holding a protest rally against the practice.

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Some of the editor's picks of the comments are quite interesting:

So while people are running away from drones fearing for their lives a pilot is sitting in an office with a cup of tea and checking his email.

Is it any wonder the UK and US are hated around the world? can our operations become any more cowardly?

[..] I'm afraid the public and the politicians have to get involved here. As stated by other posters, they appear to be used on civilians, who just happen to be standing in the wrong place, at the wrong time [...].

If politicians wish to wage war, they should have to face the consequences and explain to troops relatives why. These weapons allow them to bypass that responsibility and thus wage war for ever more political rather than security reasons - they can always rely on their spin doctors to blame the women and children killed for "being in the wrong place/not fighting terrorism". Truly immoral.

as are some others:

Why is it ok for us (or anyone else) to use this type of weaponry to terrorise civilians in the pursuit of our aims?

Execution by video link, and maybe a few bystanders get biffed too - these are real people not pixels on a screen.

[جوري]

wish you'd post this in the thread where our friend indy seems under the impression that western interests aren't intertwined and one. Guess on top of actively killing us, they want the remainder to be dumb as well!
Anyhow this is the price we'll keep collectively paying for the dissolution of khilafah, the abandonment of the fard and the shelving of the sharia!

[Mustafa2012]

Yes, this is how your taxes are being used.

[sister herb]

And they only hit against terrorists, right?

If not, it isn´t any big new in the west media at all.

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[Mustafa2012]

And they only hit against terrorists, right?

If not, it isn´t any big new in the west media at all.

:salam:

No they don't.

Innocent civilians have been killed as well.

[sister herb]

My comment was sarcasm, if you saw.

[Mustafa2012]

My comment was sarcasm, if you saw.

Sorry I didn't notice it.

But thanks for explaining.

[Jedi_Mindset]

And they only hit against terrorists, right?

If not, it isn´t any big new in the west media at all.

Majority of the victims of drone attacks are innocents, non-combatants. i believe 80% of the victims are.

they purposely strike them most of the time as they don't care when sitting miles away.

[sister herb]

Who are those 20% then? Terrorists? Guilty to what?