LONDON: Britain is to double the number of armed drone aircraft flying combat and surveillance operations in Afghanistan, the Guardian reported on Tuesday.
In a new squadron of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), five Reaper drones will be sent to Afghanistan and be in operation within six weeks, with control coming, for the first time, from terminals and screens in Britain, the newspaper said.
Pilots based in a high-tech site at RAF Waddington, a military base in England, will fly the recently bought American-made UAVs, according to the Guardian.
Britain's existing five Reaper drones, which are used to target suspected insurgents in Helmand province in Afghanistan's southwest, have been operated from a US Air Force base in Nevada because Britain has not had the capability.
The government has yet to decide whether the aircraft will remain there after the end of 2014, when most Nato soldiers are scheduled to be withdrawn from Afghanistan.
COMMENTS (4)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
@Indian Wisdom, try to read the articel before you comment. Drones are not just hitting terrible areas in Pakistan but some ponding militants in Yemen and Afghanistan.
@KSU: My apologies. I missed the second line. I wanted to add what if Afghanistan also enacted similar law?? How much respect this would have got??? Before leaving Afghanistan they are just trying to increase the intensity, but scared of green on blue attacks!!!! Definitely what Pakistan's parliament says about drones in Afghanistan is of no consequence. Thanks for correcting me!!
@Indian Wisdom: These drones are aimed at Afghanistan and Afghans not Pakistan so don't get all excited lest your wisdom may get the better of you. What Pakistan's parliament thinks or says about drones in Afghanistan is of no consequence.
"Britain to double number of drones in Afghanistan: Report" .........................and Parliament of Pakistan reiterated the drones are illegal!!!