As the geographic area of the US drone strike campaign expands, so too the nature and definition of its targets. Once largely associated with North Waziristan, the porous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, drones now routinely operate in Yemen and in Yemen’s close cousin, Somalia. 2012 saw an unprecedented peak in strikes in South Yemen, and the targets are no longer just the known terrorists of classic targeted killing, but people who are judged guilty until posthumously proven innocent, says Elayne Jude, Senior Research Associate of the U K Defence Forum.

Drone Wars November - December  2012 by Elayne Jude, Great North News Service

November 2012 saw a lull in strikes, with one strike in Yemen near the beginning of the month, and one in Pakistan near the end. The tempo increased in both regions throughout December, and the close of the year saw a cluster of killings in Yemen. Also in December, Iran TV accused Israel and Azerbaijan of jointly operating drones to spy in Iranian airspace. An Azeri government spokesman denied the allegations.

This month saw a strike in Arakzai, Pakistan, the country's first outside North and South Waziristan since December 2010, writes Elayne Jude of Great North News Services. In Yemen, a rare strike occurred in in Saada province the north of the country, killing a local AQAP commander, and two Saudis. The area is the locus of fighting between the Houthis, a Shia splinter group, and local Salafist groups, including al Qaeda, allegedly used as proxies by the Sunni Yemeni government.