Replies

Everything I have read is that the drones, there were two--one had to leave due to low fuel and was replaced by another, were unarmed. Hence, I found your assertion that the drones were armed to be a major revelation. My, Congressman, Frank Wolf, is heading a major effort to get the truth about Benghazi out including the appointment of a select committee.

If you could have provided me with a source for your assertion, I could have taken that to him. This would be a bombshell that would have attracted major media attention along with Congress. It would be very big news,

You could be right. Since we must negotiate with Libya--now a supposed ally--an agreement to fly in their airspace, there had to be conditions attached, No doubt, such an agreement would specify that these drones be unarmed.

If we, in fact, were flying armed drones over Libya, that could have been a factor in not using them. There could also have been a fear of causing collateral damage and the effect it would have had on bilateral relations. If those were really the factors at play, then it is even more damning and despicable.

“President Obama has given approval for two armed American Predator drones to operate over Libya, according to Defense Secretary Robert Gates.” Apr 21, 2011
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/obama-approves-armed-predator-drones-libya/story?id=13429788

Obama Sends Armed Drones to Help NATO in Libya War
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/22/world/africa/22military.html?_r=0

U.S. To Fly Armed Drones Over Libya
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/04/21/135606950/u-s-to-fly-armed-drones-over-libya

As drone monopoly frays, Obama seeks global rules
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/17/us-usa-security-drones-idUSBRE92G02720130317
“President Barack Obama, who vastly expanded U.S. drone strikes against terrorism suspects overseas under the cloak of secrecy, is now openly seeking to influence global guidelines for their use as China and other countries pursue their own drone programs.”

Everything you need to know about the drone debate, in one FAQ

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/03/08/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-drone-debate-in-one-faq/
“According to the Post database, there have been 347 in Pakistan, 53 in Yemen and 2 in Somalia. From 2008 through October 2012, there were 1,015 strikes in Afghanistan, 48 in Iraq, and at least 105 in Libya according to the Bureau for Investigative Journalism. That does not include strikes in Libya past September 2011, strikes from 2001 to 2007 in Iraq and Afghanistan, and those since October 2012. The New York Times’ Mark Mazzetti reported that at least one strike has happened in the Philippines.”