RAF Drone Pilots Reveal Difficulty Killing Jihadis They Followed for Weeks
Since the first drone strike in 2002, concerns have mounted on the prevalent use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in military operations, particularly on the resultant civilian casualties. A few have expressed concern about the effects of such strikes on pilots operating the UAVs.
One academician explored the psychological impact these drone strikes have on pilots of UAVs, commonly called drones, a remotely piloted aircraft with lethal strike capability. Portsmouth University's Peter Lee listened to the accounts of members and former members of two Reaper squadrons of the British Royal Air Force who have targeted the Taliban and Islamic State.
One of the pilots' more difficult experiences is getting attached to their targets. They reveal the difficulty of following jihadis in the Middle East for weeks before finally killing them. They watched the terrorists go about their daily lives: going to the shops, praying at the mosque and playing with their children.
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Another shared something about a bomb maker who was followed by the team for weeks that they named him and his children. The target always had one or more of his children with him, and the familiarity made it harder for them to kill him, but they accomplished the mission nevertheless.
When the strike is made, they see the reactions of the wife and children when the target's body is brought to them. "You see someone fall to the floor and sob so hard their body is convulsing," a pilot said. Another cried uncontrollably during the interview before calmly going back to his station to kill again.
Military officials downplayed the ill-effects due to the nature of the job which is far from physical danger. But earlier observations suggest that the detachment desensitizes the pilots wherein a bit of their humanity is lost. This is manifested when pilots begin to refer to children as "fun-sized terrorists" or "TITS," which stands for terrorists in training.
