For those who oppose drone strikes (an indefensible position in my opinion - see the Moral Maze episode on this topic), this news story is interesting, as the drone base was constructed to reduce civilian casualties.
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CIA operating drone base in Saudi Arabia, US media reveal
BBC News
6 February 2013
The US Central Intelligence Agency has been operating a secret airbase for unmanned drones in Saudi Arabia for the past two years.
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[C]onstruction was ordered after a December 2009 cruise missile strike in Yemen, according to the New York Times. It was the first strike ordered by the Obama administration, and ended in disaster, with dozens of civilians, including women and children, killed.
