Taliban goes high tech to plan attacks on US, Afghan government
- By Defense Systems Staff
- May 29, 2012
Taliban fighters are using notebook computers, digital cameras, Global Positioning System technology, chat rooms and other tools and technologies of the digital age to plan attacks against U.S. and Afghan government urban targets in the war-torn country of Afghanistan, report Ron Moreau and Sami Yousafzai in Newsweek's Daily Beast blog.
After losing ground in recent years to U.S. and Afghan government forces in the rural countryside, Taliban leaders and fighters have decided to devote their efforts to high-profile operations against urban targets, and are harnessing western technologies to conduct the necessary intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance efforts to prepare for assassinations and suicide-bomber attacks, the story said.
Meanwhile, U.S. forces have introduced new technologies, such as sensor-laden aerostats, to protect bases and forward outposts by boosting ISR equipment and capabilities that can track insurgent movements and give advanced warning that an attack is being planned or is imminent, the story said.