Until recently, the Pakistini military relied on Google Earth to conduct it’s aerial assaults on insurgents. Lacking the means to produce high-tech imagery and declining US support for fear of a public backlash, Pakistan relied on ground spotters in conjunction with information from the Internet. As one would expect, this less precise method caused a higher rate of collateral damage and made it more difficult to destroy their intended targets. The New York Times reports:
In recent months, the air force has shifted from using Google Earth to sophisticated images from spy planes and other surveillance aircraft, and has increased its use of laser-guided bombs.
“The biggest handicap we had in Bajaur was that we didn’t have good imagery,” Air Chief Marshal Qamar said. “We didn’t have good target descriptions. We did not know the area. We were forced to use Google Earth. “I didn’t want to face a similar situation in Swat,” he said.
It appears that the deaths of innocent civilians and destruction of property ultimately trumped the negative perception of the US.
