US using pint-sized drones in Afghanistan

US military has issued pint-sized drones to soldiers in Afghanistan, small enough to be carried in backpacks, but used in battlefield in place of airstrikes, as reports said that Washington had given the nod to CIA to step up strikes on militants in Pakistan.

The weapon dubbed the ‘Flying Shotgun’ has been sent to troops battling Taliban militants close to the border with Pakistan, a US media report said. The drones are small enough to fit in soldiers’ rucksacks, but packed with tiny explosive warheads, enough to blast targets with pinpoint accuracy.

The new drone christened ‘Switchblade’ weighs less than six pounds and takes out a sniper on a rooftop without blasting the building and Pentagon has given the go ahead for deployment of these mini killer machines, Los Angeles Times reported quoting Pentagon officials.

The deployment of Switchblades has been made a top priority by Pentagon as Washington is seeking to reduce civilian casualties and collateral damage in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other battle zones.

The weapon was tested last year by special operations units and has also been widely tested by the US army, Marines and air force. The paper said US army had placed orders with manufacturers for these mini killer machines worth $100 million under a programme called Lethal Miniature Areal Munition System.

The deployment of mini killer drones comes, LA Times said, amid reports of the Obama administration giving a nod to CIA to step up drone strikes in Pakistan.

Angry over Islamabad’s refusal to crack down on Haqqani network militants who cross into Afghanistan, the US is approving strikes that it might have vetoed before, the paper said.

The new Switchblade drone enables soldiers in the field to identify and destroy targets much more quickly by eliminating the need to call in a strike from large drones that may be hundreds of miles away.