"The Air Force next month will deploy a new generation of pilotless
airplane with the bombing power of an F-16 to help stop the stubborn Taliban
insurgency in Afghanistan.The Reaper is an upgraded version of the Predator,
which has become one of the military’s most sought-after planes since it first
appeared in Afghanistan in 2001. The Reaper can fly three times as fast as a
Predator and carry eight times more weaponry, such as Hellfire missiles, the Air
Force said."
I think Obama had a point, though he could have communicated it better. The bombing of targets from 10,000 feet means that we are killing innocent people. I am not suggesting that we are targeting them, but that they result from being too close to the targets, or being confused with the targets. More importantly though, it gives the image of a lack of concern for civilian lives. That one thing could defeat us faster than any weapons. The solution is tricky, and I don't know what it is, because troops on the ground present problems of a different nature. I doubt more fire power in the skies is going to calm the fighting though.
The fact that it is pilotless, and that it is a person hundreds or thousands of miles away from the action, targeting militants and killing civilians is not a good image.
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