ISIS using exploding drones

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Drones have been used in surveillance and propaganda. Now, as American intelligence agencies have predicted, ISIS has figured out a new use for commercial drones as deadly bombs.

Over the last month the Islamic State has reportedly used weaponized drones in at least three attacks in Iraq. On one occasion, two Kurdish fighters were killed while dismantling what they thought was a drone used for recon.

Former FBI agent and international security expert William Daly says the drones ISIS uses are commercially available devices that you can order online you might see in a hobby shop. ISIS is equipping them with small explosive devices, some as small as a battery.

Daly says the U.S. military has been prepping for attacks for some time now. In the last year and a half, the U.S. launched a number of airstrikes targeting ISIS drones. This summer the Pentagon asked congress for $20 million to address the problem.  

Could a drone attack happen here? Daly says it is much easier for ISIS forces to weaponize these drones in places like Iraq and Syria where there is access to sophisticated weapons. 

A growing concern among military analysts is the likelihood that in the future, off-the-shelf drones will be able to travel farther and carry heavier explosives. So it is something the military is constantly keeping an eye on.