CIA seeks new authority to expand Yemen drone campaign

April 19, 2012 by legitgov

CIA seeks new authority to expand Yemen drone campaign --'How discriminating can they be?' asked a senior U.S. official familiar with the proposal. 18 Apr 2012 The CIA is seeking authority to expand its covert drone campaign in Yemen by launching strikes against terrorism suspects even when it does not know the identities of those who could be killed, U.S. officials said. Securing permission to use these "signature strikes" would allow the agency to hit targets based solely on intelligence indicating patterns of suspicious behavior. The practice has been a core element of the CIA's drone program in Pakistan for several years. CIA Director David H. Petraeus has requested permission to use the tactic against the al-Qaeda [al-CIAduh] affiliate in Yemen.