Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Iraq Wants U.S. Drones; Iran and Deer Trail, CO . . . Not so Much

Over the weekend, Bloomberg reported that al-Qa'ida terror attacks have gotten so bad in Iraq (roughly 30/month over the past 90 days, with more than 3,000 killed) that Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said the government in Baghdad is seeking U.S. advisers, air surveillance, or even drone strikes to help them combat AQI/ISIL.

Conversely, over the border, the acting commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Basij militia has announced that the paramilitary units plan to teach drone-hunting to high school students. The AP notes that Gen. Ali Fazli did not elaborate how they would hunt the drones, but that the plan suggests students will be taught how to track and bring down UAVs by hacking their computer systems.

Alternatively, the Iranians could take a page from the good people of Deer Trail, Colorado, population 600, which two weeks ago voted on an ordnance permitting the issuance of "drone hunting" licenses. "If you don't want it to go down, don't fly it in the town," a resident told CBS. At least 157 people signed up in advance to pay the $25 fee for the honor of keeping the skies of Deer Trail UAV-free the old fashioned way . . . with shotguns (and presumably from the back of a pickup with a case of beer, which to be honest, sounds kind of fun!)

Alas, the vote apparently was tied, thereby stalling the measure so that Deer Trail will continue to remain an unattractive sanctuary for al-Qai'da for the time being.

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