Iraq outraged over use of U.S. surveillance dronesJanuary 30, 2012 - 20:43 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Iraqi officials have expressed outrage at the United States' use of a small fleet of surveillance drones to help protect the U.S. embassy, consulates and American personnel in Iraq, AFP reported quoted The New York Times. The newspaper said the State Department began operating some drones in Iraq last year on a trial basis and stepped up their use after the last U.S. troops left the country in December. The U.S. government plans to take bids for the management of drone operations in Iraq over the next five years, the report said. The State Department drones carry no weapons and are meant to provide data and images of possible hazards, like public protests or roadblocks, to security forces on the ground, the paper noted. They are much smaller than armed drones. But the U.S. government needs formal approval from Iraq to use such aircraft there, the paper noted, citing unnamed Iraqi officials. Such approval may be hard to get given the political tensions between the two countries, The Times said. A senior American official said negotiations were under way to obtain authorization for the drone operations, but Ali al-Mosawi, a top adviser to Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki; Iraq’s national security adviser, Falih al-Fayadh; and the acting minister of interior, Adnan al-Asadi, all said in interviews that they had not been consulted by the Americans, the report said. "Our sky is our sky, not the USA’s sky," Asadi is quoted by the paper as saying. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |