Drone strike

A drone strike is typically where an unmanned combat aerial vehicle fires a missile at a target. The drone may be equipped with such weapons as an air-to-surface missile, air-to-air missile, or other types of precision-guided munitions. Since the turn of the century, most drone strikes have been carried out by the US military in such countries as Pakistan and Yemen using air-to-surface missiles.

Drone strikes are commonly used to destroy buildings and vehicles. However, they are also used for targeted killings. This extrajudicial method of killing is considered highly controversial.

Drone strikes by the Islamic State
Small drones and quadcopters have been used for strikes by the Islamic State. A group of twelve or more have been piloted by specially trained pilots to drop munitions onto U.S.-backed ground forces. They have been able to evade ground defense forces.

During the battle for Mosul, the Islamic State was able to kill or wound dozens of Iraqi soldiers by dropping light explosives or 40-millimeter grenades from numerous drones attacking at the same time.

U.S. officials acknowledged that this was possibly the first time since they were fighting in the Vietnam War that the U.S. military was mostly powerless against the enemy's aircraft.

FBI Director Christopher Wray stated at a Senate hearing that "We do know that terrorist organizations have an interest in using drones...We have seen that overseas already with some frequency. I think that the expectation is that it is coming here, imminently."

Notable drone strikes

 * Damadola airstrike
 * Datta Khel airstrike
 * 2009 Makin airstrike
 * Miramshah airstrike

Notable deaths from drone strikes

 * Abdul Rauf (Taliban governor)
 * Abdul Rauf Aliza
 * Abdulrahman al-Awlaki
 * Abu Khayr al-Masri
 * Abu Muslim al-Turkmani
 * Abu Umar al-Tunisi
 * Ali Abdullah Naji al-Harithi
 * Ali Awni al-Harzi
 * Anwar al-Awlaki
 * Fahd al-Quso
 * Harith bin Ghazi al-Nadhari
 * Ibrahim Sulayman Muhammad Arbaysh
 * Jihadi John
 * Junaid Hussain
 * Kamal Derwish
 * Mangal Bagh
 * Mohammed Atef
 * Muhsin al-Fadhli
 * Nasir al-Wuhayshi
 * Nasser bin Ali al-Ansi
 * Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi
 * Said Ali al-Shihri
 * Samir Khan