Civil liberties group probes legal basis for drone attacks

[The Straight Story]

Civil liberties group probes legal basis for drone attacks
By Katherine McIntire Peters [e-mail] January 14, 2010

The American Civil Liberties Union on Wednesday filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the CIA and the Defense, Justice and State departments seeking the legal justification for targeted killings using armed drones.

The Obama administration, like the Bush administration before it, uses unmanned aircraft to conduct counterterrorism operations targeting key enemy operatives overseas, not only on battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also in Pakistan and Yemen.

"The American public has a right to know whether the drone program is consistent with international law, and that all efforts are made to minimize the loss of innocent lives," said Jonathan Manes, a legal fellow with the ACLU National Security Project.


The FOIA request seeks records pertaining to the use of the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper aircraft used by the CIA and the military for the purpose of killing targeted individuals. In addition to the legal basis for the program, the group is interested in the rules and standards surrounding the aircraft's use. The request also seeks information about how the rules and standards are enforced and implemented, and how the consequences of drone attacks are assessed.

Additionally, the ACLU wants information on the frequency of drone strikes, the individuals targeted and the number of people killed, including innocent civilians.

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