Secret US Assassination Drone Base in Saudi Arabia

US President Obama’s plan to install his counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, as director of the CIA has opened the administration to new scrutiny over the targeted-killing policies it has fought to keep hidden from the public, as well as the existence of a previously secret drone base in Saudi Arabia.

According to the Washington Post US daily, “The secrecy surrounding that policy was punctured Monday with the disclosure of a Justice Department “white paper” that spells out the administration’s case for killing Americans accused of being al-Qaeda operatives.”

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a member of the intelligence committee, said Brennan’s level of influence and the timing of his nomination have given lawmakers leverage that they lacked in previous efforts to seek details from the White House.

The Obama administration’s targeted-killing program has relied on a growing constellation of drone bases operated by the CIA and the US military’s Joint Special Operations Command.

The report further mentioned that, a 2011 attack that killed al-Qaeda operative Anwar al-Awlaki, was carried out in part by CIA drones flown from a secret base in Saudi Arabia.

The base was established two years ago “to intensify the hunt against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, as the affiliate in Yemen is known.”

Brennan, who previously served as the CIA’s station chief in Saudi Arabia, played a key role in negotiations with Riyadh over locating an agency drone base inside the kingdom.

The Washington Post had refrained from disclosing the location at the request of the US administration.

The white paper, which was first reported by NBC News, concludes that the United States can lawfully kill one of its own citizens overseas if it determines that the person is a “senior, operational leader” of al-Qaeda or one of its affiliates and poses an imminent threat.

Meanwhile, civil liberties groups in the US have described the white paper as an “example of the kind of unchecked executive power Obama campaigned against during his first presidential run,” the daily reports.

“The parallels to the Bush administration torture memos are chilling,” said Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights Vincent Warren, as quoted in the report, accusing Obama of hypocrisy for ordering the release of George Bush administration memos while retaining secrecy around his own.

To deliver on his promises of transparency, Warren emphasized, Obama “must release his own legal memos and not just a Cliffs Notes version.”

The US assassination drone campaign has so far murdered thousands of civilians and some militants in hundreds of strikes in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia.

Source: presstv

B.N

You might also like
Latest news
Sabbagh congratulates Attaf on renewal of confidence as Algerian Foreign Minister A solidarity event in Moscow for the Arab peoples in the face of Zionist attacks and crimes President Al-Assad accepts credentials of new Ambassador of South Africa Workshop about situation of the Financing Market for Micro and Small Enterprises kicks off Four martyred in initial toll in Israeli occupation new raid on Beirut city center Syria, Cuba discuss promoting trade ties Syria Receives Two Gold and Two Silver Medals at The Arab Kickboxing Tournament in Egypt   Terrorist Ben-Gvir Storms Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron “China's Views-The Syrian War and Europe” a Book by Chinese Researchers Translated by Safwan Bahloul Yemeni Forces Target an Israeli Enemy Base South of Occupied Palestine with a Ballistic Missile UN Calls for Accountability of Those Responsible for Targeting Humanitarian Workers in Gaza and Leba... Russia Strongly Condemns Israel's Aggression Against Palmyra... It is a Flagrant Violation of Syrian... 25 Martyrs and Dozens Wounded in the Occupation Bombing of Various Areas of the Gaza Strip Three European Countries Announce their Readiness to Arrest Netanyahu and Gallant if They are on The... Organization of Islamic Cooperation: Issuing Arrest Warrants Against Netanyahu and Gallant Contribut... The Feature Film (Temporary Darkness) Participates in The Hague Film Festival in the Netherlands Syrian Doctor Receives Best Clinical Presentation at Diabetic Foot Conference in Los Angeles Iravani: Israel's Repeated Attacks on Syrian Territory Have Reached an Unprecedented Level of Crimin... The State of Palestine Welcomes The Issuance of Two Arrest Warrants Against Netanyahu and Gallant The First ALECSO Early Childhood Forum Concluded its Events in Tunisia