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Groton Daily Independent
Tuesday, March 13, 2018 ~ Vol. 25 - No. 242 ~ 35 of 46
ing occurred. Monday’s second explosion, meanwhile, occurred about 5 miles (8 kilometers) south of the day’s rst blast.
“It’s just a regular family neighborhood,” Reynolds said. “It’s just a grandmother, you know what I mean? Like, why?”
From his house at the end of the same street, 77-year-old retiree Gilbert Rendon heard the boom of Monday’s second blast and then saw a crush of scared people running his way — barefoot neighbors, some carrying babies with dogs chasing behind.
“They’re saying, ‘Somebody put a bomb! Somebody put a bomb!” Rendon said.
FBI teams are investigating along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Manley said anyone receiving a package they don’t recognize should call 911. “Under no circumstances
should you touch them, move them or handle them in any way,” he said. ___
Associated Press writer Jim Vertuno contributed to this report.
Military reviews rules for helmet cams after Niger attack By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. military leaders are considering new guidelines for the use of helmet cameras on the battle eld after Islamic State-linked ghters in Niger exploited footage taken by a fallen American soldier to make a propaganda video that highlighted the killing of four U.S. forces.
Weeks after the deadly October ambush, people linked to the militants shopped around the grisly footage to news organizations. When few expressed interest, the insurgents added music and propaganda, made a short movie and posted it online. Then it was written about in a number of news stories around the world.
The Islamic State group’s capitalization on its fortunate nd after the northern Niger battle highlighted the risk for the U.S. military of its men and women using the popular mini-cameras on missions. Experts say military of cials are likely to respond with tighter controls.
“The need for clear guidance on the use of cameras in operations was ampli ed by the ambush in Ni- ger,” said Navy Capt. Jason Salata, spokesman for Special Operations Command, based in Florida. And U.S. Africa Command, which doesn’t have its own policy on the issue, is also doing a review to determine whether new guidelines are required, said Army Col. Mark Cheadle, spokesman for the command.
The goal is to ensure commanders understand the risks when they authorize helmet cameras or other video to be recorded. One idea centers on security measures that would make it harder for enemies who get their hands on such footage to use it.
“I think they’re doing the right thing by saying, ‘Well, we can’t limit its usage, we’ve got to limit its vul- nerabilities, things like encrypting them,’” said Spencer Meredith, associate professor of national security at the National Defense University. “So, how do we take something like a helmet cam, which is a vital tool for ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance), for training, for mission analysis, for after action reports and put limits on its vulnerabilities?”
While some form of encryption would be the most likely approach, Meredith said, other technological xes include ways to limit the battery life or otherwise make a device inoperable after a certain period of time. Other guidelines could address who can approve the use of helmet cameras and similar technology, and where and how they can be used.
The commanders of U.S. forces in Africa and the Middle East will testify before the Senate Armed Ser- vices Committee on Tuesday.
The military’s increased usage of GoPros and other video cameras re ects their booming presence in our everyday lives. Such technology can deliver bird’s-eye views of skiers hurtling down the slopes, divers exploring the sea oor, breathtaking parasailing tours and whitewater rafting. It takes no special training for amateurs to get in on the act.
But the technology’s penetration of the military over the years has been uneven. It was originally more prominent among special operations forces, but has since expanded to conventional troops as the cameras