November, 19 2015, 11:00am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167
Drone Whistleblowers: U.S. Assassination Program Ignites Terrorism
The Guardian reports: "Four former U.S. Air Force service members, with more than 20 years of experience between them operating military drones, have written an open letter to Barack Obama warning that the program of targeted killings by unmanned aircraft has become a major driving force for ISIS and other terrorist groups.
WASHINGTON
The Guardian reports: "Four former U.S. Air Force service members, with more than 20 years of experience between them operating military drones, have written an open letter to Barack Obama warning that the program of targeted killings by unmanned aircraft has become a major driving force for ISIS and other terrorist groups.
"The group of servicemen have issued an impassioned plea to the Obama administration, calling for a rethink of a military tactic that they say has 'fueled the feelings of hatred that ignited terrorism and groups like Isis, while also serving as a fundamental recruitment tool similar to Guantanamo Bay'. ...
"The four are represented legally by Jesselyn Radack, director of national security and human rights at the nonprofit ExposeFacts [a project of the Institute for Public Accuracy]. 'This is the first time we've had so many people speaking out together about the drone program,' she said, pointing out that the men were fully aware that they faced possible prosecution for speaking out." See Guardian piece "Obama's drone war a 'recruitment tool' for Isis, say US air force whistleblowers" which includes the letter from the whistleblowers and a link to the new film, "Drone."
ANDREW COCKBURN, amcockburn at gmail.com, @andrewmcockburn
Washington editor of Harper's Magazine, Cockburn is available for a limited number of interviews. He is author of the recently released book Kill Chain: The Rise of the High-Tech Assassins. His recent articles include "Flying Blind" and "How Assassination Sold Drugs and Promoted Terrorism." See accuracy.org news release: "Killer Drones: Analysis and Protest of the 'Bureaucracy of Murder'."
ED KINANE, edkinane at verizon.net
Kinane is with Upstate Drone Action in Syracuse and has participated in a series of actions outside the Hancock Air Force Base, where killer drones are operated from. Kinane and and other activists served jail time for their actions. He just wrote "Exposing the Killer Drones of Hancock Airbases's 174th Attack Wing." His prior pieces include "Exposing Drone Terrorism."
Kinane is quoted in the recent piece in the Atlantic: "The Drone Economy The unmanned-aircraft industry could help to revive a struggling region. But what are the consequences?"
A nationwide consortium, the Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA) represents an unprecedented effort to bring other voices to the mass-media table often dominated by a few major think tanks. IPA works to broaden public discourse in mainstream media, while building communication with alternative media outlets and grassroots activists.
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