Drones of death: International fears of terrorists possessing drones
Drones are relatively cheap compared to conventional aircraft, in addition to the ease of access to the technology used in their manufacture, which raises international concerns about the possibility of this dangerous weapon reaching extremist groups.
Drone warning
During a meeting in India on Friday, October 28, the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee of the UN Security Council discussed the growing threat posed by emerging new technologies to the world, including the use of drones by terrorist groups.
The meeting came in parallel with international warnings of the spread of drones in the hands of terrorist organizations in the African continent, which has become a new center of gravity for terrorists, where civil conflicts and fragile governments flourish.
According to the statements of Indian Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj on the international organization's website, “Attacks are being reported in which drone systems are used in many conflict areas, which complicates their legitimate use.”
International concerns
In mid-October 2022, a report published by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Pretoria, South Africa pointed to increasing evidence of terrorists and criminal groups using drones in Africa.
The report, which came under the title “Armed Drones: The Latest Technological Threat Reaching Africa”, indicated that the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war highlighted the role of “drones” on the battlefields, and there is an arms race now under way in the field of their production and acquisition. It added that drones can also be purchased, adapted, and used to disrupt critical infrastructures such as airports, power plants, and communications networks.
The Security Council, by virtue of Resolution No. 2617, warns against the misuse of unmanned aircraft and also urges members to “achieve a balance between promoting innovation on the one hand, and preventing the misuse of unmanned aircraft systems on the other hand.”
The ISS report draws attention to what happened during the recent escalation in hostilities in Cabo Delgado province in northern Mozambique, where government authorities reported that “radical groups deployed drones in the province, and this strongly helped them undermine the relative stability that had recently been achieved there.”
A report published last year by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies stated that drone technology is likely to change the face of warfare in Africa due to its independent nature, in addition to low costs, noting that some models can be purchased and armed for less than $650.
Terrorism in Africa
The report quoted the New York Times as saying that “the Nigerian Boko Haram group obtained drones and used them for intelligence purposes.” It added that “Boko Haram’s drones were more advanced than those used by the government.”
Terrorist activities flourish in Africa, especially in countries suffering from security unrest, civil strife and armed conflicts, where armed groups benefit from weak governments and the state of political and security fragility.
According to the Global Terrorism Index, 7,234 terrorist attacks were recorded in the continent of Africa, where terrorism claimed the lives of 28,960 victims in 2021, and there are approximately 30 terrorist entities stationed in Africa registered on the UN Security Council sanctions list.
Ahmed Ban, an expert on extremist groups, said, “During the organization's prosperity, ISIS was able to develop primitive models of drones and use them in some attacks in Syria and Iraq.”
Ban added to Asharq Al-Awsat, “This dangerous weapon is of great importance to armed organizations and groups because of its cheap price and ease of development, especially since groups such as ISIS have high-level scientific human cadres, and the weapon itself is easy to use in tactics of attrition, propaganda, and spreading terror and fear.”
In 2017, a report published by the New York Times said that it found documents that included models of drones used by ISIS to gather information and bomb operations sites using different types of explosives.
The newspaper quoted US military officials in Baghdad as saying that ISIS has used more than 80 remotely controlled drones against Iraqi forces and their allies.
Although the international coalition imposed a flight ban on commercial drones, the terrorist organization bypassed this by introducing modifications to smart applications and installing and tuning electronic chips on GPS systems in drones.
