A military attack by a drone or drones in which people are targeted because their activities are believed to fit a particular behavioural profile, though their individual identities are unknown.
officials said the use of signature strikes is part of a broader easing of constraints on military drone campaigns
Example sentencesExamples
- Broader rules allow signature strikes, when surveillance data suggest a terrorist leader may be nearby but the identities of others targeted is not known.
- The proposal for the signature strikes is awaiting a decision by the National Security Council.
- They report an increase in signature strikes, which target groups selected through "pattern of life analysis."
- These so-called signature strikes are based on assessments that men carrying weapons or in a militant compound are legitimate targets.
- The agency has been building networks of informants there to assemble intelligence reports that could guide the signature strikes.