By By Michael Thomas Feb 10, 2014 in World A report based on leaked documents from Edward Snowden alleges that the NSA uses collected metadata to determine the target of drone strikes, rather than human intelligence. A former drone operator for the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and collaborator with the NSA, speaking with the Intercept on condition of anonymity, said that while the strategy has taken out many terror suspects, it has also "absolutely" resulted in the deaths of many innocent people. The tactic involves tracking specific SIM cards, which is a tactic many suspects have become aware of, to the point where one identity can have up to 16 SIM cards associated with it. Apparently Taliban leaders have also taken to distributing SIM cards randomly among ranks to elude capture. “Once the bomb lands or a night raid happens, you know that phone is there,” the drone operator U.S. officials have defended the drone program several times, most recently The Intercept is a new website launched by According to According to The Intercept , a website created to deal solely with Edward Snowden's leaked documents on the NSA, drone targets are decided not by confirming the identities with ground operatives. Instead, targets are chosen based on the location of the mobile phone they are believed to be using.A former drone operator for the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and collaborator with the NSA, speaking with the Intercept on condition of anonymity, said that while the strategy has taken out many terror suspects, it has also "absolutely" resulted in the deaths of many innocent people.The tactic involves tracking specific SIM cards, which is a tactic many suspects have become aware of, to the point where one identity can have up to 16 SIM cards associated with it. Apparently Taliban leaders have also taken to distributing SIM cards randomly among ranks to elude capture.“Once the bomb lands or a night raid happens, you know that phone is there,” the drone operator said . “But we don’t know who’s behind it, who’s holding it. It’s of course assumed that the phone belongs to a human being who is nefarious and considered an ‘unlawful enemy combatant.’ This is where it gets very shady.”U.S. officials have defended the drone program several times, most recently last week , where Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said that limiting drone strikes puts American lives "at risk."The Intercept is a new website launched by Glenn Greenwald Laura Poitras and Jeremy Scahill According to Business Insider , the site's mission statement is "to produce fearless, adversarial journalism across a wide range of issues," and adds: "The editorial independence of our journalists will be guaranteed." More about Nsa, drone strikes, Drones, the intercept, Glenn greenwald More news from Nsa drone strikes Drones the intercept Glenn greenwald edward snowden