Drone Strikes Increased in Afghanistan in 2012

The use of drone strikes by aircraft such as the armed Predator and Reaper rose by 72% last year in Afghanistan. The remotely-controlled unmanned aircraft launched 506 strikes in 2012 according to U.S. military data. Targets are identified on the ground by a host of intelligence assets to include live video feed from the attack drones and other supporting unmanned aerial vehicles. Read more on this topic in "U.S. drone strikes up sharply in Afghanistan", LA Times, February 21, 2013.