BaghdadIraqis use Google Earth as military intelligence asset

Google Earth … is being used to help people survive sectarian violence in Baghdad ….

… Some Iraqis have set up advice websites to help others avoid the death squads … people to draw up maps of their local area using Google Earth’s detailed imagery of Baghdad so they can work out escape routes and routes to block.

… For some time now, vigilante-style guard forces have been operating in many neighbourhoods, especially in Sunni areas targeted by Shia militias.

… Many Sunnis see the Shia-dominated police forces as just as much of a threat, because of evidence of their involvement in kidnappings.

… It’s thought that insurgents have also used the map site, examining the detailed images to pick out potential targets.

[BBC]

Via Boing Boing.