Increase In The Use of Drones And Other Expected Trends For Afghanistan

U.S. Reaper drones at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan. One is armed with two 500-lb bombs. Source: GlobalPost

UAVs Could Become Even More Prevalent In Afghanistan, Pakistan -- Aviation Week

SINGAPORE — The upcoming withdrawal of U.S.-led NATO forces from Afghanistan may lead to an increase in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the country as well as in neighboring Pakistan.

The former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, says: “Drones play a very important role in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Even with 100,000 U.S. troops on the ground, the terrain of Afghanistan and Pakistan in the border areas is difficult. The impossibility of accessing these areas, to counter the plans of Al Qaeda and the [Taliban-allied] Haqqani clan, has created a sanctuary inside Pakistan.”

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My Comment: In short .... the message is clear .... even after most ISAF forces have left, a large contingent of US forces will still be in Afghanistan.