NBC 'News': Biden Was Meticulously Engaged in Drone Strike Planning, Even Inquiring What Kind of Building Materials the House Was Made of the Strike Was So Absolutely Flawless No One Else in House Was Disturbed

At AoSHQ, "This article was written by several people including Deep State Stenographer "Fusion Ken" Dilanian. I believe all this."

U.S. Says Drone Strike Killed al Qaeda Leader Ayman al Zawahiri (VIDEO)

I watched President Biden's address live this afternoon, now available at the video below.

And at the Wall Street Journal, "First known U.S. counterrorism operation in Afghanistan since exit last year targeted a private residence in Afghan capital":

WASHINGTON—The White House said Monday that a U.S. missile launched from a drone in Afghanistan killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri, a founding member of the jihadist movement and one of the key strategists behind an international campaign of terror that culminated in the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S.

The U.S. strike targeted a safe house in a residential area in central Kabul on Sunday morning, in what was the first known counterrorism operation in the country since U.S. forces withdrew last year. The Biden administration said the Taliban was aware that al Zawahiri was hiding in Kabul, the clearest display of the continuing alliance between al Qaeda and the group now ruling Afghanistan.

Speaking from the White House balcony on Monday, President Biden announced the strike, describing al Zawahiri as a terror leader who for decades “was the mastermind behind the attacks against Americans.” Those attacks included the 2000 attack on the USS Cole, which killed 17 sailors and wounded dozens of others and 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people and injured more than 4,500.

Al Zawahiri, 71, was an Egyptian national and longtime deputy of al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden. In the lead up to 9/11, Zawahiri was the most important of bin Laden’s advisers as they planned the hijackings. He was also instrumental in shaping how the terror group used the 2001 attacks to gain members, often through propaganda letters and videos.

Mr. Biden during his eight-minute address said he approved the “carefully planned” operation a week ago “after being advised conditions were optimal.”

“The United States did not seek its war on terror. You came to us. We answered with the same principles and resolve that has shaped us for generations upon generation to protect the innocent and defend liberty,” Mr. Biden said.

The Taliban seized power during America’s final weeks in the country after two decades of war.

The group has publicly pledged to prevent Afghanistan from being used as a haven for terrorist organizations, and claims that it seeks peaceful relations with all countries.

The revelation that al Qaeda’s leader and family moved to a safe house in one of the most affluent parts of Kabul soon after the Taliban returned to power undermines those claims.

A senior Biden administration official said Zawahiri was killed by two U.S. Hellfire missiles fired from a drone as he stood on the balcony of the safe house in downtown Kabul.

“Senior Haqqani Taliban figures were aware of Zawahiri’s presence in Kabul,” the official said.

Pentagon officials said they had no knowledge of the strike and the senior Biden administration official declined to specify which U.S. agency was responsible, suggesting it was a CIA operation. The CIA declined to comment.

The strike is a badly needed victory for the Biden administration after the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal last summer that helped return the Taliban’s most conservative factions to power.

The White House said no civilian casualties resulted from the strike just after 6 a.m. on Sunday morning.

There was no known response from al Qaeda.

The Taliban condemned the attack, calling it a violation of international law and the agreement it signed with the U.S. in 2020 that set the terms of America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“Such actions are repetitions of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against U.S., Afghanistan and the region’s interests,” said Zabiullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s chief spokesman.

The last U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan one year ago killed 10 civilian members of an Afghan family in the final week of U.S. presence in the country. The casualties included seven children. The operation was initially described as successful. The U.S. later admitted that the target was a mistake.

The U.S. intelligence community has “high confidence” that the dead individual is Zawahiri, the official said.

The president was first briefed on plans for a strike on July 1 in the White House Situation Room by advisers including CIA Director William Burns, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and Christine Abizaid, director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, the Biden official said.

Mr. Biden made the decision to order the strike at a July 25 meeting with top advisers at which all the participants recommended going forward with it, the official said.

The official said that for several years, U.S. intelligence agencies had been aware of a network of individuals that supported the al Qaeda leader.

Intelligence agencies tracked several members of Zawahiri’s family, including his wife and children, as they moved to Kabul. The United States then got confirmation that Zawahiri himself was in Kabul.

In early April, that intelligence was briefed to deputy national security adviser Jonathan Finer and White House homeland security adviser Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, then later to national security adviser Jake Sullivan and the president, the official said.

As with the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden, U.S. spy agencies built a replica of the house where Zawahiri was staying, and brought it to meetings with Mr. Biden and his aides, the official said. Specialists used the model to confirm that Zawahiri could be killed in a missile strike without collapsing the entire structure and killing civilians, including members of his family.

After the strike, Haqqani Taliban members sought to cover up the fact that Zawahiri had taken shelter there by moving Zawahiri’s family to another location, according to the administration official.

“The safe house used by Zawahiri is now empty,” the official said.

Under the terms of the agreement signed with the Trump administration in February 2020, the Taliban vowed to prevent Afghanistan from being used as a haven for al Qaeda and other terrorist groups to plan attacks against the U.S. and its allies.

But the Taliban didn’t explicitly commit to continuing operations to target the group or to break ties with them.

The United Nations has since reported that the Taliban and al Qaeda remain closely connected...

U.S. Says Drone Strike Killed al Qaeda Leader Ayman al Zawahiri

Medieval Reenactor Brings Down Drone with Spear (VIDEO)

Heh.

This is pretty good.

Two Men Among First to Be Charged Under L.A.'s New Law Restricting Drones (VIDEO)

I hate the overreaching arm of the state (or the municipality, in this case), but considering last year's El Cajon fire, you gotta do something. (See, "Drones Disrupt Aerial Firefight Drops Over Cajon Pass North Fire (VIDEO).")

Watch, at CBS News 2 Los Angeles, "2 Men Among First to Be Charged Under LA's New Ordinance Restricting Drone Operations."

Marcel Hirscher Nearly Hit by Drone During World Cup Alpine Skiing Event (VIDEO)

Watch, via the BBC, "Drone narrowly misses skier Marcel Hirscher during slalom race."

And ESPN reports on the predictable response, "Drone to be banned..."

Tip Line Lets California Residents Report Irresponsible Drone Pilots

Yeah, that was a bummer earlier this summer with the Cajon Pass North Fire. Drones hampered firefighting efforts.

See CBS News Sacramento, "Drone Reporting Tip Line: The move comes after more than a dozen instances of firefighting operations being slowed by drones in the air."

Vancouver Woman Fears Drone Was Trying to Snap Photos of Her Suntanning Topless on Balcony

More drones!

At Toronto's National Post, "Vancouver woman says drone appeared to be trying to get images of her suntanning topless on balcony":

A Vancouver woman is distressed after a drone appeared to be trying to capture images of her suntanning topless on her private balcony, sparking concerns about irresponsible drone use.

Kathryn Redford, 30, lives on the second floor of an eight-storey apartment near West 4th Avenue and Pine Street in the Kitsilano neighbourhood.

Her secluded balcony is shielded by a brick wall on one side and a large tree on the other side which allows only a “sliver” of sunlight into the otherwise private balcony.

There are no apartment buildings across the street from Redford, and the inside of the balcony is not visible from street level.

Redford was reading and suntanning topless on her balcony floor Wednesday around 2:30 p.m., as she’s done before, when she heard the “unmistakable” sound of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

A yellow quadcopter with a small flashing light appeared by her balcony, in the “sliver” of space between her building and the tree and hovered for about 10 seconds.

In shock, Redford covered herself with her book and watched as the UAV took off. As she gathered her things to retreat inside, the UAV re-appeared and this time, remained for about 30 seconds...

Well, I guess that does it for topless sunbathing in Vancouver!

Still more.

Fresno SkyLife Helicopter Almost Crashes Into Drone

Boy, what is with all the drones!

Here's the latest from ABC News 30 Fresno, "UPDATE: Drone almost hits Fresno SkyLife helicopter."

And this made it all the way to the national media, at CBS News This Morning, "Sharp rise in close calls between drones and planes."

Eagle Takes Out Drone

It's like a war on drones, including animal armies, heh.

At CNN, "Eagle knocks drone out of sky."

Fisherman Hooks Drone Flying Over Crystal Pier in San Diego (VIDEO)

Now that is wild!

At Gizmodo, "Watch a Fisherman Catch a Drone in Flight."

Watch: "Drone Fisherman."

Rogue Drones

Following-up from last month, "Drones Disrupt Aerial Firefight Drops Over Cajon Pass North Fire (VIDEO)."

And now at the Washington Post, "Rogue drones a growing nuisance across the U.S.":

Rogue drone operators are rapidly becoming a national nuisance, invading sensitive airspace and private property — with the regulators of the nation’s skies largely powerless to stop them.

In recent days, drones have smuggled drugs into an Ohio prison, smashed against a Cincinnati skyscraper, impeded efforts to fight wildfires in California and nearly collided with three airliners over New York City.

Earlier this summer, a runaway two-pound drone struck a woman at a gay pride parade in Seattle, knocking her unconscious. In Albuquerque, a drone buzzed into a crowd at an outdoor festival, injuring a bystander. In Tampa, a drone reportedly stalked a woman outside a downtown bar before crashing into her car.

The altercations are the byproduct of the latest consumer craze: cheap, easy-to-fly, remotely piloted aircraft. Even basic models can soar thousands of feet high and come equipped with powerful video cameras — capabilities that would have been hard to foresee just a few years ago.

Reports began surfacing last year of runaway drones interfering with air traffic and crashing into buildings. But the problem has grown worse as drone sales have surged.

“I’m definitely getting much more concerned about it,” Michael P. Huerta, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, said in a phone interview Monday. He said the FAA was particularly worried about a surge in reports of drones flying dangerously close to airports. The latest incident came Sunday, when four airline crews reported a brush with a drone on a flight path into Newark International Airport.

Huerta added that the recent interference by drones with California firefighters was “really a wake-up call for a lot of people. This kind of thing has got to stop.”

More.

Drones are an especially beneficial technology when used appropriately --- like in Seal Beach, where lifeguards use drones to prevent shark attacks --- but it's infuriating in cases like the Cajon Pass North Fire, where drone users forced firefighters to shut down operations.

Actually, though, the drone knocking out the homosexual rights activist at the Seattle gay parade is pretty beneficial too, heh.

Man Shoots Down $1,800 Drone Hovering Over His Sunbathing Daughter

Drones seem so cool, but then not so much.

At WDRB News 41 Louisville, "Hillview man arrested for shooting down drone; cites right to privacy" (via Memeorandum and Reason).

Drones Disrupt Aerial Firefight Drops Over Cajon Pass North Fire (VIDEO)

At the Riverside Press-Enterprise, "DRONES: Unmanned aircraft briefly hinders fire fight":

For the pilots who fight fire from the sky, it’s getting to the point of being ridiculous.

An hour after Friday’s inferno erupted in the Cajon Pass, a drone was seen spying on the flurry of activity as flames incinerated trapped vehicles on Interstate 15 and frightened motorists fled for their lives. Authorities immediately grounded firefighting aircraft.

It marked at least the fourth time since late June that a drone was spotted in the vicinity of pilots bombing an Inland Southern California wildfire with retardant or water. Each time the incident halted an aerial attack and may have allowed flames to spread farther, and more rapidly, than they would have, officials said.

“I wish I had an answer for the fix to all of this,” said a frustrated Mike Eaton, aviation officer for the San Bernardino and Cleveland national forests, in a telephone interview Saturday. “I don’t know if the public just doesn’t understand or if they are just not paying attention.”

In any event, many operators aren’t getting the point that their remotely controlled flying devices pose a danger to manned airplanes and helicopters. Or they don’t believe it...

More.

Drone Video of Synchronized Holiday Lights

Heh.

This is really cool.

Pilot of 'Quadcopter' Drone Ordered to Stay Away from Massive #SandFire East of Sacramento (VIDEO)

The dude may have been interfering with low-flying aircraft dropping water and fire retardants.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Pilot of drone ordered away from California wildfire posts video." (Click through for videos at the link.)