al-Qaeda's 22 Tips and Tricks To Dodge Drones 303
Dr Max writes "Ever wonder how al-Qaeda operates under the watchful eye of the U.S. Army? Well, the Associated Press found a list of 22 of their tips and tricks on avoiding drone strikes. Most of it consists of the obvious: stay in the shadows or under thick trees, don't use wireless communications. However, there are also some less obvious solutions, like the $2,595 Russian 'sky grabber, which can track the drones. Their document (PDF) also suggests covering your roof and car with broken glass. They also claim good snipers can take out the reconnaissance drones, which fly at a lower level. Now the question is: will all of this still be relevant during the robo-apocalypse?"
Busted: Hiding behind civilians doesn't stop them (Score:5, Informative)
tl;dr: the list (Score:5, Informative)
It's mostly about hiding from the drones, "jamming" their communications (low tech), and general asymmetric-warfare advice:
1 – It is possible to know the intention and the mission of the drone by using the Russian-made “sky grabber [wikipedia.org]” device to infiltrate the drone’s waves and the frequencies. The device is available in the market for $2,595 and the one who operates it should be a computer know-how.
2 – Using devices that broadcast frequencies or pack of frequencies to disconnect the contacts and confuse the frequencies used to control the drone. The Mujahideen have had successful experiments using the Russian-made “Racal [wikipedia.org].”
3 – Spreading the reflective pieces of glass on a car or on the roof of the building.
4 – Placing a group of skilled snipers to hunt the drone, especially the reconnaissance ones because they fly low, about six kilometers or less.
5 – Jamming of and confusing of electronic communication using the ordinary water-lifting dynamo fitted with a 30-meter copper pole.
6 – Jamming of and confusing of electronic communication using old equipment and keeping them 24-hour running because of their strong frequencies and it is possible using simple ideas of deception of equipment to attract the electronic waves devices similar to that used by the Yugoslav army when they used the microwave (oven) in attracting and confusing the NATO missiles fitted with electromagnetic searching devices.
7 – Using general confusion methods and not to use permanent headquarters.
8 – Discovering the presence of a drone through well-placed reconnaissance networks and to warn all the formations to halt any movement in the area.
9 – To hide from being directly or indirectly spotted, especially at night.
10 – To hide under thick trees because they are the best cover against the planes.
11 – To stay in places unlit by the sun such as the shadows of the buildings or the trees.
12 – Maintain complete silence of all wireless contacts.
13 – Disembark of vehicles and keep away from them especially when being chased or during combat.
14 – To deceive the drone by entering places of multiple entrances and exits.
15 – Using underground shelters because the missiles fired by these planes are usually of the fragmented anti-personnel and not anti-buildings type.
16 – To avoid gathering in open areas and in urgent cases, use building of multiple doors or exits.
17 – Forming anti-spies groups to look for spies and agents.
18 – Formation of fake gatherings such as using dolls and statutes to be placed outside false ditches to mislead the enemy.
19 – When discovering that a drone is after a car, leave the car immediately and everyone should go in different direction because the planes are unable to get after everyone.
20 – Using natural barricades like forests and caves when there is an urgent need for training or gathering.
Re:Busted: Hiding behind civilians doesn't stop th (Score:5, Informative)
From Drone attacks in Pakistan: Statistics [wikipedia.org]
As of January 2013, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism estimates the following cumulative statistics about US drone strikes:[2][17]
Total strikes: 362
Total reported killed: 2,629 – 3,461
Civilians reported killed: 475 – 891
Children reported killed: 176
Total reported injured: 1,267 – 1,431
Strikes under the Bush Administration: 52
Strikes under the Obama Administration: 310
[2] Obama 2012 Pakistan Strikes [thebureaui...igates.com] Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
[17] Woods, Chris; Lamb, Christina (4 February 2012). "Obama terror drones: CIA tactics in Pakistan include targeting rescuers and funerals" [thebureaui...igates.com]. Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
Re:tl;dr: the list (Score:3, Informative)
4 – Placing a group of skilled snipers to hunt the drone, especially the reconnaissance ones because they fly low, about six kilometers or less.
That would be a really neat trick, since the acknowledged World's longest sniper kill [gizmag.com] is only about 2 and a half kilometers.
I hope for their sake the rest of these ideas of theirs work better.
Re:Second type of target... (Score:2, Informative)
9/11 says otherwise. So do the hordes of documents recovered at Bin Laden's compound. So do the daily speeches from various Imams, religious leaders, political leaders and sundry others throughout the world. So do postings from numerous organizations. So do the thwarted attempts at car and suicide bombings.
Most importantly, so do the words from the people we have killed wherein they have stated their goal is to attack the U.S.
Or are you saying all those people are merely plants by the CIA?
Re:sounds like a great mythbusters episode... (Score:4, Informative)
Thermal imaging cameras have been demonstrated to be able to see your ATM code [wired.co.uk] for up to a couple of minutes after you typed it, for example. So it's not entirely infeasible to see residual heat traces from brief contact for some minutes after the event. Note I'm not saying it's possible with current technology; the drone would have to be pretty close, pretty soon after you ran through, be equipped with a pretty good thermal imaging rig, and have very compliant environmental conditions for it to be vaguely possible with today's technology, but it's far from the most outlandish tech you'll see in a movie.
Nobody read the scary part? (Score:5, Informative)
There's a paragraph near the end that suggests retaliation through widespread kidnapping:
I think these measures are capable, with God’s help, of disabling the new strategy of the American army at the medium or long-range levels. This is not all we have. There is the golden solution that shortens the long distances and through which we can bring back the pressure of the American public opinion in a more active way depending on the strategy of kidnapping in exchange for the drone strategy and we should not stop until they stop their strategy which will enable all the supporter of jihad to take part in defeating Petraeus and his new strategy. We start kidnapping Western citizens in any spot in the world, whether in the Islamic Maghreb, Egypt, Iraq or any other easy kidnapping places and the only demand is the halt of attacks on civilians in Yemen which is a just and humanitarian demand that will create world support and a public opinion pressure in America as they are being hurt again. We, therefore, aim at the core of the nation’s strategy which if failed, America, will accordingly collapse. We also are taking part in laying a block in the promising Islamic State in the Arab peninsula.
Seems like that's important, but the AP didn't pay any attention to it...
Re:sounds like a great mythbusters episode... (Score:5, Informative)
Freedom fighters can't do this? True, unless they're Jewish.
Then? They can bomb hotels full of Brits [britains-smallwars.com], or whatever they really want to.