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RAF's role in US drone attacks that killed hundreds of Iraqis



RAF pilots took part in America’s notorious drone programme in Iraq in which hundreds of civilians died, The Mail on Sunday has learned.

Heavily armed drones – using deadly missiles to destroy targets – were flying as many as three missions a week from 2004.

They were operated remotely by pilots, often from bases thousands of miles away.



Threat: An unmaned reaper drone believed to have been used by the RAF in Iraq

It had been thought the operations in Iraq, which have been condemned by human rights groups as war crimes, were run solely by the US Air Force. Now the Ministry of Defence has admitted for the first time that British personnel were helping to fly the drones from bases in the United States.

In a statement to Parliament, Armed Forces Minister Andrew Robathan was forced to correct a previous account in which he said the RAF flew US drones only in Afghanistan and Libya.


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He said: ‘The answer should have said that UK personnel embedded with the US Air Force have only flown US RPAS [Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems] in support of operations in Afghanistan, Libya and Iraq.’

The MoD conceded that these embedded missions ran from 2004 to 2009, but a spokesman was unable to provide further details. One intelligence source said British pilots would have worked on drone operations in Basra, using Hellfire missiles to target insurgents fighting UK forces.



Women sob after a fatal drone attack north of Baghdad in Iraq

US drone operations follow looser rules of engagement than those authorised by the UK. US drones abide by the controversial doctrine of ‘pre-emptive self-defence’ – for targeted killings over countries such as Pakistan and Yemen. However, the MoD said British pilots followed UK combat rules, even when embedded with US forces.

Reacting to the news, Tory MP Rehman Chishti said: ‘This raises serious questions about our involvement with America’s drone programme and our role during the insurgency. The Government must lift the veil of secrecy on their use of drones.’

The MoD also admitted that Reaper drones have been operated remotely from Britain for the first time. The Reapers had flown missions in Afghanistan controlled from RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, where campaign groups yesterday staged a protest against the news.

The drones are all based in Afghanistan and can carry 500lb bombs and Hellfire missiles. They are launched from Kandahar air base.

FURY AT WINGS FOR 'JOYSTICK' AIRMEN



Royal Air Force Second World War badge ribbon and wings sewn onto pilot's uniform British UK

A new RAF badge for drone operators has provoked anger among veterans.


Former personnel criticised the badge as disrespectful to those pilots who risk their lives in the air – while the greatest danger to desk-bound operators of remote aircraft is ‘spilling coffee on their keyboards’.


The new wings are virtually indistinguishable from those worn by pilots. The only difference is that they have blue laurel leaves instead of brown.Veterans argue that ‘joystick’ operators should instead receive badges emblazoned with the outline of a computer.


RAF News, the Service’s official publication, has been ‘inundated’ with letters complaining about the new badge, pictured. Former helicopter squadron leader Bob Bickers, 70, from Alton, Hampshire, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Most air modellers can do that job and I’m not sure wings are the correct answer.
‘There is a pride about wearing wings – it connects wearers to people who have valiantly fought and died.’


There are two Remotely Piloted Air Systems Squadrons – 39 Squadron based at Creech, Nevada, and 13 Squadron, based at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire.


This month four RAF airmen became the first to be awarded their wings for operating unmanned aircraft.


An RAF spokesman said: ‘To earn their wings, the pilots have to achieve the highest standards of airmanship and operational prowess to operate the aircraft in Afghanistann.'

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