President Barack Obama on Thursday revealed clearer guidelines for the use of deadly drone strikes.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Declaring America at a ‘‘crossroads’’ in the fight against terrorism, President Barack Obama on Thursday revealed clearer guidelines for the use of deadly drone strikes, including more control by the US military, while leaving key details of the controversial program secret.
The guidance includes requirements that a target must pose a continuing "imminent" threat to Americans, and says lethal action can be used only if a suspect cannot feasibly be captured, and there is a legal basis for acting.
In a major foreign policy speech after some two weeks of dealing with domestic scandals, Obama underlined his support for press freedoms in the face of recent criticism of his administration s recent probes to stop leaks of classified information.
Under a new presidential guidance signed recently, the Defense Department will take the lead in launching drones, as opposed to the current practice of the CIA taking charge.
The president also announced a renewed push to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba, including lifting a moratorium on prisoner transfers to Yemen. However, shutting the prison will still require help from Republicans reluctant to back Obama’s call to move some detainees to US prisons and try them in civilian courts.
Obama framed his address as an attempt to redefine the nature and scope of terror threats facing the US, noting the weakening of al-Qaida and the impending end of the US war in Afghanistan.
‘‘Neither I, nor any president, can promise the total defeat of terror,’’ Obama said in remarks at the National Defense University. ‘‘What we can do, what we must do, is dismantle networks that pose a direct danger, and make it less likely for new groups to gain a foothold, all while maintaining the freedoms and ideals that we defend.’
WASHINGTON (AP) - Declaring America at a ‘‘crossroads’’ in the fight against terrorism, President Barack Obama on Thursday revealed clearer guidelines for the use of deadly drone strikes, including more control by the US military, while leaving key details of the controversial program secret.
The guidance includes requirements that a target must pose a continuing "imminent" threat to Americans, and says lethal action can be used only if a suspect cannot feasibly be captured, and there is a legal basis for acting.
In a major foreign policy speech after some two weeks of dealing with domestic scandals, Obama underlined his support for press freedoms in the face of recent criticism of his administration s recent probes to stop leaks of classified information.
Under a new presidential guidance signed recently, the Defense Department will take the lead in launching drones, as opposed to the current practice of the CIA taking charge.
The president also announced a renewed push to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba, including lifting a moratorium on prisoner transfers to Yemen. However, shutting the prison will still require help from Republicans reluctant to back Obama’s call to move some detainees to US prisons and try them in civilian courts.
Obama framed his address as an attempt to redefine the nature and scope of terror threats facing the US, noting the weakening of al-Qaida and the impending end of the US war in Afghanistan.
‘‘Neither I, nor any president, can promise the total defeat of terror,’’ Obama said in remarks at the National Defense University. ‘‘What we can do, what we must do, is dismantle networks that pose a direct danger, and make it less likely for new groups to gain a foothold, all while maintaining the freedoms and ideals that we defend.’
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