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Highlights: - Special task force ordered strike. They didn't have to go through normal checks and balances because they were doing it under emergency provision

by csee 5y ago

Highlights: - Special task force ordered strike. They didn't have to go through normal checks and balances because they were doing it under emergency provisions apparently due to an emergency request from arab allies on the ground. - They claim they didn't see the civilians because they were relying on SD quality drone feed. - The group is accused of falsifying log records afterwards.

adolph 5y ago
Second paragraph: "Without warning, an American F-15E attack jet streaked across the drone’s high-definition field of vision and dropped a 500-pound bomb on the crowd, swallowing it in a shuddering blast." Who is lying about the surveillance quality?
- boomboomsubban 5y ago
  Further in the article >A 5th Special Forces Group officer in the task force looked at the drone footage and didn’t see any civilians, a task force officer said. But the drone he relied on had only a standard-definition camera. Central Command said there were no high-definition drones in the area that could get a better view of the target...In fact, a high-definition drone was available. The task force did not use it.
- csee 5y ago
  There were 2 drone streams. The HD one that the Qatar base was watching, and the SD one that the task force was watching (if we're to believe their account).
- torstenvl 5y ago
  I wouldn't necessarily assume it's a lie. I have no inside information and, if I did, I probably wouldn't be able to share it. However, based on my experience in Iraq, it wouldn't surprise me if 5th Group were relying on a previous-generation drone and didn't know an MQ9 or better class drone was watching the same AO. We once had a TF call in requesting a strike on military-aged males carrying rifles. In the strike cell, we had a newer drone on station and checked out what they were calling in. I'm glad we did. With higher fidelity video, we could see that it was actually teenaged males with fishing poles. The strike request was (of course) denied. In our case, it worked out the way one would hope, but with aging equipment and poor networking, it's definitely a "there but for the grace of God go I" moment.

by csee 5y ago

adolph 5y ago

Second paragraph: "Without warning, an American F-15E attack jet streaked across the drone’s high-definition field of vision and dropped a 500-pound bomb on the crowd, swallowing it in a shuddering blast." Who is lying about the surveillance quality?

boomboomsubban 5y ago
Further in the article >A 5th Special Forces Group officer in the task force looked at the drone footage and didn’t see any civilians, a task force officer said. But the drone he relied on had only a standard-definition camera. Central Command said there were no high-definition drones in the area that could get a better view of the target...In fact, a high-definition drone was available. The task force did not use it.
csee 5y ago
There were 2 drone streams. The HD one that the Qatar base was watching, and the SD one that the task force was watching (if we're to believe their account).
torstenvl 5y ago
I wouldn't necessarily assume it's a lie. I have no inside information and, if I did, I probably wouldn't be able to share it. However, based on my experience in Iraq, it wouldn't surprise me if 5th Group were relying on a previous-generation drone and didn't know an MQ9 or better class drone was watching the same AO. We once had a TF call in requesting a strike on military-aged males carrying rifles. In the strike cell, we had a newer drone on station and checked out what they were calling in. I'm glad we did. With higher fidelity video, we could see that it was actually teenaged males with fishing poles. The strike request was (of course) denied. In our case, it worked out the way one would hope, but with aging equipment and poor networking, it's definitely a "there but for the grace of God go I" moment.