The militant organisation has assigned cells of engineers to find ways to shoot down, jam or remotely hijack dronesl. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
Al Qaeda’s leadership has assigned cells of engineers to find ways to shoot down, jam or remotely hijack US drones, hoping to exploit the technological vulnerabilities of a weapons system that has inflicted huge losses upon the terrorist network, The Washington Post reported citing top-secret US intelligence documents.
Although there is no evidence that the militant organisation has forced a drone crash or interfered with flight operations, US intelligence officials have closely tracked the group’s persistent efforts to develop a counter-drone strategy since 2010, the Post said.
The classified report reveals, al Qaeda commanders are hoping a technological breakthrough can curb the US drone campaign, which has killed an estimated 3,000 people over the past decade.
The airstrikes have forced al Qaeda operatives and other militants to take extreme measures to limit their movements in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia and other places. But the drone attacks have also generated a bitter backlash against US policies toward those countries.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 5th, 2013.
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