VANGUARD
Col Hassan Stan-Labo is a retired officer with a wealth of combat operational experience spanning his duty tour of Liberia, Sierra Leone, West Darfur and Bakassi Peninsula as part of the Army’s Elite Infantry (Special Forces) Corps.
Now a security consultant, defence strategist, resource fellow and Convener, ‘FIX NIGERIA NOW!’ Stan-Labo speaks, in this interview, on the accidental drone attack in Kaduna State that killed scores of civilians last week.
The army has apologized over the drone attack on the civilian population in a Kaduna community which apparently killed many people. What immediately struck your mind after hearing the news?
Knowing what the consequences may be, I did wish it had not happened because all sorts of meanings would be read into it including the unthinkable. It’s really a sad experience for the community and bereaved members of the affected families. May the souls of the deceased persons rest in peace! It was quite professional and the proper thing to do by the Army owning up immediately to the mishap, tendering due apology and the physical visit to the affected communities by the leadership of the military. It served to calm nerves within the community.
For the benefit of our readers, what is the difference between fighter jet which many people are familiar with and drone, and why was it necessary for drone to be used in this particular instance instead of fighter jet?
Fighter jets (in layman’s term) are combat warplanes used in the engagement of enemy forces. Their functions vary according to their make, configuration, specifications, purpose, etc. On the other hand, drones are unmanned modern technological air assets integrated into military inventories world wide as unmanned flying platforms designed to play similar roles as manned air assets. In today’s modern warfare, drones have become veritable high utility platforms given their performance level and the zero human cost advantage.
Most countries with a long history fighting terrorism have adopted the use of drones in view of its high level efficacy in the fight against terrorism. Most drones today are multi-purpose built for enhanced functions such as surveillance, attack, logistics move, info acquisition, etc. However a good reading of the battle in conjunction with several other factors informs on the application of resources and its employment by the Field Commander.
An accident apparently happened. Why do you think the drone attack horribly went wrong? And what was the margin of error that could have made the killing of civilians impossible?
These are very technical questions that can only be answered by those manning the operations cell and with responsibility for that particular air asset. What Intel were they acting on, what were the imageries they were trailing after, what is the movement pattern or character of the group, etc? But like I earlier said, incidents as these could occur in battles or field operations.
The incident has predictably sparked national outrage. But while the army was apologizing for the accidental attack, it also said many terrorists were killed in a way that it appeared like they were blaming the locals for allowing alleged terrorists to embed with them. What is your take?
Yes, the incident has sparked national outrage as expected. The bitter truth however remains that some Nigerians (including highly placed politicians in the immediate past administration) were sympathetic to terrorists. It was no surprise to find outright complicit directives and actions at cross purposes with the national interest emanating from Government Houses across northern states or even the Presidency as witnessed in the last administration. Religion, tribe and ethnic considerations often weighted far and above national interest considerations constituting globs in the fight against terrorism. This became responsible for the lackluster attitude, indecisiveness, slow response and poor outing by the military under the Buhari administration. In Zamfara we witnessed an unholy romance between terrorists and government officials degenerate into open calls for a grant of amnesty. How ridiculous! In Kaduna State, terrorists became handy tools in furthering the state government’s genocide activities against indigenous Christian minorities in Southern Kaduna under the watchful eyes and endorsement of the Buhari Presidency.
Tell us about incidents like this across the world where civilians were accidentally targeted?
Drone strikes just like every conventional air combat strike could occur with human errors resulting in collateral damages or outright target miss. Speaking professionally, incidents of this nature occur in battle fronts either by combat aircraft or drones. I recall vividly while serving as the Ground Force Protection Platoon Commander at Lungi International Airport, Sierra-Leone, which was then the ECOMOG Air Tactical HQs…
