New English-language jihadi publication calls on Muslims to hack US drones
http://rt.com/news/jihadi-publication-appeals-drone-hacking-907/
Published time: May 06, 2013 23:33
A new magazine set up by Islamist radicals in Afghanistan and Pakistan is
appealing to Muslims of the world to collaborate in developing new methods
and technology to undermine American drone operations.
Publishing under the title "Azan," the magazine's first edition became
available on May 5, according to the SITE intelligence group. The sprawling
80-page issue, available online as a PDF, includes a lengthy section that
evaluates drone strikes while making the case for a mass movement to
undermine their impact.
The editorial calls for assistance against drones as a "sacred duty" of the
Ummah, or the Muslim community.
"These drones can be hacked and manipulated as evidenced by the efforts of
the Iraq Mujahideen. Furthermore, they can be destroyed using various
technologies that the Mujahideen are working on. But the Muslims of the
world must question themselves as to what role they are playing in helping
these innocent Muslims with the abilities that Allah Has Given them. This is
a call to anyone in the Islamic Ummah with knowledge, expertise and theories
regarding anti-drone technology."
The hacking to which the article refers is a 2009 incident in which Iraqi
insurgents evidently deployed commercial software called SkyGrabber to tap
into live video feeds put out by US Predator drones in Iraqi airspace.
The story, originally reported by the Wall Street Journal, attributed the
exploit to Iranian-backed militants. At the time, the report also suggested
that drones in Afghanistan had been exploited in the same manner.
"Any opinions, thoughts, ideas and practical implementations to defeat this
drone technology must be communicated to us as early as possible because
these would aid the Ummah greatly in its war against the Crusader-Zionist
enemy," reads the entreaty by the magazine's editors.
Azan depicts Pakistan's Army and government as collaborators with the US in
the continuing American drone campaign, though the US is shown to be the
"main culprit."
A significant portion of the magazine's drone editorial is dedicated to
describing how local spies and militants are recruited and bribed by the
Pakistani Army from such locations as Miranshah Camp, and count on the
assistance of other groups, such as KFP (Koast Protection Force), which is
described by Azan as "an Afghan organization, whose hypocritical and beguile
exploits are known."
As to any technical insights provided, these mainly pertain to the methods
by which "chips" and other call signs are left by the alleged US/Pakistani
Army recruits on the homes, and sometimes the vehicles, of targeted
militants.
What is perhaps most intriguing about the jihadi publication's analysis of
the drone threat is its portrayal of Pakistan's so-called duplicity, basing
much of its ideological reasoning on quotes by an ex-Pakistan senior air
force officer, Sultan Hali, who himself has criticized his country's deep
involvement in US drone strikes.
"It is convenient to have the US as a scapegoat. You can easily say that
these drone attacks are being done by the Americans. The Americans don't
really like this policy of ours and they have declared their displeasure at
this many times. But still, it is in our interest that we continue to blame
the Americans regarding this, because if we admit to the killing of innocent
women and children alongside running the entire drone system, then the
results will be disastrous. The consequences shall have to be faced by
whichever political party is in power."
Azan covers regions where Al-Qaeda operates ranging from Syria to Mali, but
mostly concentrates on Pakistan.
As to whether Azan might be successful in fomenting a credible technological
threat to US drone operations is unclear, though both its political analysis
and what technical analysis there is of drone strikes suggests that it could
pose a concern in the future.
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