Sculpture in the exploded field: Lahore residents survey the damage

An unmanned combat air vehicle, or 'drone', of the kind deployed by the US to prosecute its so-called War on Terror

Romancing the drone
US drone strikes have increased from around 5 per year under George Bush to more than 100 per year under Obama. Channel 4 reports that "As a result of the 2010 drone surge, there have been 500-900 known deaths," while one report states that "It's almost certain that US drone strikes are causing more civilian casualties than the US has thus far admitted".


US Drone Strike Destroys Art Gallery in Lahore

By our defence correspondent, Joy Schtick

The so-called War on Terror took a devastating turn earlier today when a US unmanned combat air vehicle, or 'drone', accidentally struck a contemporary art gallery in downtown Lahore, Pakistan. The drone's three hellfire missiles obliterated not only the pristine white exhibition space but millions of pounds worth of blue-chip contemporary art. Fortunately the gallery was empty at the time as most Lahore residents remain utterly baffled by cutting edge contemporary art.

The MQ-9 'Reaper' was being remotely controlled from a bunker at  Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, by 19 year-old Air Force Junior, Hank Spielboy. It was en route to a target in Waziristan in the mountainous region of north-west Pakistan when it "went rogue", according to a US Air Force spokesman.

Instead of proceeding to its intended target — a peaceful family gathering at a community centre south west of Peshawar — the drone accidentally unleashed three 500lb laser-guided precision bombs into the art gallery. The US AIr Force is refusing to speculate on what might have caused the error, but it is thought likely that its operator's hand slipped as he was reaching for his copy of Hustler.

"The loss of so much valuable contemporary art is a source of enormous human sadness," said the Creech Air Force Base spokesman. "We will be doing everything in power to ensure that this kind of thing doesn't happen again and that in future it is only innocent civilians who will feel our wrath."