Why Can't the CIA use previous satellite images to track where Al Qaeda car bombers came from?

Question

It would seem that some satellite imagery or video could pinpoint a location, tape a video of wide area, go back to the tape later to identify a vehicle that was used in a bombing, thus allowing intelligence to track where that vehicle originated from. Would it be that drones are more practical? Would it be that the vehicle would be too hard to identify?

Answer 1

A spy satellite can't record images like that. It has to be zoomed in on a specific area. And they can't watch the same area for that long.

Drones are the same way, you can't watch a big enough area in enough detail.

Answer 2

This was a big question during the first gulf war when lots of people could not understand why we could not locate a lost plane yet we could pinpoint the window of a building with satellite images. The answer is that it is easy to locate something when you know where it is. Very hard and just a matter of luck when you don't.
Do you remember the first time we took out a vehicle filled with terrorists with a missile from a Drone in Yemen?
I listen to the experts testify to congress on c-span about the wonderful technologies we have to do what you say. It seems obvious that they do not work well. Maybe in the near future we will get it right.

Answer 3

You've got to understand that we're still fairly new at handling this guerrilla-type conflict we're dealing with in Iraq. Our satellites and our imagery analysts are very useful when we need to identify a squad of Soviet T-72 tanks... But despite what you may see on 24, for tracking car-bombers, satellites are definitely impractical. There's too much area to cover.

What we need to do is continue to work closely with the Israelis. If there's anyone who knows about car-bombings, it's them. We need to COUNTER the car-bombers in the first place. HUMINT teams are great for investigating, but that's after the fact.

Answer 4

Well, first of all optical satellites don't "hover" over a city or nation... it's called orbital-mechanics.

Resolution COULD ID specific vehicles... and YES, Gulfstar would be a viable platform.

But I hate to say... I'm sure the insurgents / Al Quaeda LEAVE a garage after they send out a car-bomb.

Like the comment regarding Clancy... I guess too many folks watched "Patriot Games" or "Enemy of the State"

Answer 5

The CIA and the Reagan/Bush administration did fund and arm the Islamic extremists in Afghanistan in the process the Soviet/Afghan war. Tora Bora, which became Osama Bin Ladens hideout, became geared up by using the CIA. Osama Bin weighted down became in Afghanistan combating the Soviets from 1982. the U. S. and the CIA deny they funded or armed Osama Bin weighted down on the instant. yet he did income, the two on the instant or circuitously, from US backing in the process the Soviet/Afghan conflict. whilst the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, the U. S. observed this as a victory and an instantaneous effect of their covert operations assisting the Muslim extremists. those extremists finally grew to develop into Al Qaeda in 1988. whilst the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, and the democratic Russian Federation took its place. Al Qaeda nevertheless centred Russia, assisting Muslim rebels interior the Russian Caucasian area of Chechnya interior the mid-1890s. in spite of if the CIA aided Al Qaeda or the Caucasian Muslim rebels is unknown. The Russians crushed the rebels in Chechnya, yet did no longer overwhelm Islam. The Russian Federation made it sparkling to the Caucasians, Islam became a secure faith in accordance to their shape, and Muslims may be unfastened to prepare their faith in all areas of Russia. although maximum persons of the Chechens have been weary of war and happy their faith and subculture became preserved, a small team of extremists nevertheless exist and in specific circumstances attack Russian objectives. With Al Qaeda now no longer mandatory by using Caucasian Muslims, the gang moved directly to what they seen because of the fact the "different devil". the U. S. and their interference and presence in Islam's holy land of Saudi Arabia.

Answer 6

Read a lot of Clancy novels, do ya'?

First of all, you need to understand just how big Baghdad is. There is NO WAY to cover all of Baghdad with drones or monitor all the satellite images out there.

To be honest, instead of technology, we need more HUMINT teams on the ground. That's the BEST way to address this.

Answer 7

How do you know that they aren't?

How do you think that some of these terrorists have been shot?

Oh, by the way, just because a vehicle originates from a certain location, there is no way to be certain that the terrorists are still there.

Answer 8

They can of course, but why would they.

Here's a newsflash. Al Qaeda IS the CIA. What do you think all those secret government agencies MI6, Mosad, CSIS, ISI, CIA do behind that curtain of secrecy.

Thats how they rule you.

Google and watch "terrorstorm"

Answer 9

Satellite imagery is more useful for strategic surveillance. Things such as watching bases and observing trends in troop movements and weapons placement. HUMINT, SIGINT, aircraft, and UAV's would be more useful in those situations.

Answer 10

they're not always overhead. nor are they pointed at anything in particular.

I've seen Israeli footage tracking a mortar type truck. But it looked like they were tracking this thing with a helicopter, to show that people were hiding out in civilian areas thus giving them permission to drop bombs on civilian areas.