Protest over armed Drones

More than 200 protesters have marched to an air base in Lincolnshire to show their opposition to the use of unmanned drones in Afghanistan.

The remote-controlled aircrafts are being operated by pilots based in the UK for the first time.

Around 400 people have marched from link to RAF Waddington against a new fleet of armed drones being based in the UK for the first time.

The drones, which were previously operated from a United States Air Force base in Nevada, are used to support ground troops in Afghanistan.

Chris Nineham, from the Stop the War Coalition, believes armed drones are fundamentally wrong, and he will campaign until the technology is banned.

Hundreds of peace campaigners have started marching from Lincoln to RAF Waddington, in protest of a new fleet of armed drones being based in the UK for the first time.

The RAF began remotely operating its Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles earlier this week from the airbase in Lincolnshire.

Previously operated from a United States Air Force base in Nevada, the aircraft are used to support coalition ground forces in Afghanistan.

Members of the Stop The War Coalition, CND, The Drone Campaign Network and War on Want are estimated to walk the four mile route in around two hours.

Hundreds of protesters are due to start marching from Lincoln to RAF Waddington against the use of armed drone aircraft.

It's the first time the Ministry of Defence has based the spy planes in the UK, which will be deployed over Afghanistan.

Today's march will start at South Park, down the A15 Cross O'Cliff hill and down Grantham Road to a Peace camp set up outside the airbase.

Ahead of a planned protest outside an RAF base today against the UK's use of armed drones in Afghanistan, War on Want senior campaigns officer Rafeef Ziadah said:

Lincolnshire Police will be live tweeting details of road closures during today's protest march over armed drone planes being based at RAF Waddington.

Hundreds are expected to walk from South Park in Lincoln to the base. It's the first time the RAF has based the crewless aircraft in the UK.

The new aircraft, known as 13 Squadron, which were officially "stood up" in October, started flying missions over Afghanistan this week from their base in Lincolnshire.

The hi-tech Reaper drones are primarily used to gather intelligence on enemy activity on the ground, but they also carry 500lb bombs and Hellfire missiles for precision strikes on insurgents.

An MoD spokesman said they had been carrying out missions including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, but would not comment on exactly what individual missions had been flown in the past week by drones piloted from the UK.

Anti-war protesters are set to gather outside an RAF base today to voice their opposition to the UK's use of armed drones in Afghanistan.

Members of the Stop The War Coalition, CND, The Drone Campaign Network and War on Want will march from Lincoln to nearby RAF Waddington.

The RAF began remotely operating its Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles deployed to Afghanistan from the Lincolnshire airbase earlier this week.

In a statement, the RAF said it had started supporting the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan ground troops with "armed intelligence and surveillance missions" remotely piloted from RAF Waddington.

The aircraft were previously operated from a United States Air Force base in Nevada.