| Obama Administration Defends Drone Attacks On U.S. Citizens |
| Feb-05-2013 |
| Keywords: drone, strike, us, citizen, obama, doj, terrorist, al qaeda |
The Obama administration today came under heightened scrutiny after reports surfaces that its authorized drone strikes against U.S. citizens abroad believed to have ties to terrorist groups.
In his press briefing today, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney defended the administration, reminding reporters that Al Qaeda is in a "state of war with us," and defended "targeted strikes against specific Al Qaeda terrorists."
"We conduct those strikes because they are necessary to mitigate ongoing actual threats, to stop plots, to prevent future attacks and to save American lives," Carney said. "These strikes are legal, they are ethical and they are wise."
Scrutiny over the drone attack program rose considerably following the 2011 drone strike in Yemen that killed two Americans -- Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan. The occasion was the first such attack that put an American citizen in the crosshairs of a U.S. military drone attack.
Questions regarding the administration drone attack policy resurfaced Monday when a bipartisan group of 11 senators wrote a letter to Obama asking for "any and all legal opinions" that substantiated the basis for his authority to "deliberately kill American citizens."
As the letter was released to the media, news reports also emerged of a Justice Department document that outlined the administration's drone attack authority.
The 16-page memos says it is legal for the government to kill U.S. citizens abroad if it believes they are senior Al Qaeda leaders continually engaged in operations aimed at killing Americans. The document states that delaying action individuals continually planning to kill Americans would create an unacceptably high risk. It adds that the threat posed by Al Qaeda and its associated forces demands a broader concept of when a person continually planning terror attacks presents an imminent threat.
Fox News is reporting that, according to an unnamed Justice Department official, "there are at least three conditions that have to be met in order for a strike to be ordered -- there has to be an "imminent" threat, the target has to have engaged in terrorist activities, and the target has to be unable to be captured. "
Read more about the administration's unprecedented drone program and the concerns of lawmakers on FoxNews.com |
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Posted by Lou Dobbs Staff at 12:00 PM Email to a friend |
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