Britain Piloted Drones In 2011 Libya Campaign: Parliament

By Jacey Fortin | July 26 2012 3:42 PM

The British Parliament confirmed on Thursday that members of the country's Royal Air Force operated drones -- remotely piloted aircraft -- in Libya during 2011.

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One of the most startling revelations: any military-aged male who dies in a drone strike is automatically labeled a "militant."

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The admission seems to contradict a previous understanding that British drones have been used against suspected terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan, butnowhere else. There, NATO forces are working to fight against insurgencies and bolster the new government in Kabul.

But Thursday's statement also indicates that the drones piloted by RAF in Libya last year were American vehicles, according to the Telegraph.

"Her Majesty's Government do not use armed remotely piloted air systems against terrorist suspects outside Afghanistan. However, UK personnel flew armed remotely piloted air systems missions against Gaddafi's forces in Libya in 2011, in support of the Nato humanitarian mission authorized under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973," explained Lord Astor of Hever in response to a clarification request from Lord Bates of Langbaurgh.

The United States remains the global leader in terms of the development and usage of drones, which can conduct surveillance and deliver bombs. The practice has come under intense scrutiny due to the covertness of the attacks and the amount of control exercised over them by the U.S. presidential administration.