Illustration by The Intercept

The Drone Papers

The Intercept has obtained a cache of secret documents detailing the inner workings of the U.S. military’s assassination program in Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia. The documents, provided by a whistleblower, offer an unprecedented glimpse into Obama’s drone wars.

01.

The Assassination Complex

Jeremy Scahill

The whistleblower who leaked the drone papers believes the public is entitled to know how people are placed on kill lists and assassinated on orders from the president.
02.

A Visual Glossary

Josh Begley

Decoding the language of covert warfare.
03.

The Kill Chain

Cora Currier

New details about the secret criteria for drone strikes and how the White House approves targets.
04.

Find, Fix, Finish

Jeremy Scahill

The tip of the spear in the Obama administration’s ramped up wars in Somalia and Yemen was a special operations task force called TF 48-4.
05.

Manhunting in the Hindu Kush

Ryan Devereaux

Leaked documents detailing a multi-year U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan reveal the strategic limits and startling human costs of drone warfare.
06.

Firing Blind

Cora Currier, Peter Maass

A secret Pentagon study highlights the chronic flaws in intelligence used for drone strikes in Yemen and Somalia.
07.

The Life and Death of Objective Peckham

Ryan Gallagher

For years Bilal el-Berjawi traveled freely from the U.K. to Somalia under the watchful eyes of intelligence services. Then the U.S. killed him with a drone strike.
08.

Target Africa

Nick Turse, The Intercept

To reduce the “tyranny of distance,” drones fly from bases in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Navy ships.
09. Glossary

The Alphabet of Assassination
10. Documents

Editor-in-Chief: Betsy Reed. Series Editor: Roger Hodge. Additional Editing: Rubina Madan Fillion, Charlotte Greensit, Andrea Jones, Peter Maass. Research: Alleen Brown, John Thomason, Margot Williams, Spencer Woodman. Art Direction: Stephane Elbaz and Philipp Hubert. Additional Photo Editing: Connie Yu. Development: Tom Conroy and Raby Yuson.

The Drone Papers

The Assassination Complex

A Visual Glossary

The Kill Chain

Find, Fix, Finish

Manhunting in the Hindu Kush

Firing Blind

The Life and Death of Objective Peckham

Target Africa

09. Glossary

The Alphabet of Assassination

10. Documents

Small Footprint Operations 2/13

Small Footprint Operations 5/13

Operation Haymaker

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