EXCLUSIVE: CIA Didn't Always Know Who It Was Killing In Drone Strikes, Classified Documents Show -- NBC
The CIA did not always know who it was targeting and killing in drone strikes in Pakistan over a 14-month period, an NBC News review of classified intelligence reports shows.
About one of every four of those killed by drones in Pakistan between Sept. 3, 2010, and Oct. 30, 2011, were classified as "other militants,” the documents detail.
The “other militants” label was used when the CIA could not determine the affiliation of those killed, prompting questions about how the agency could conclude they were a threat to U.S. national security.
The uncertainty appears to arise from the use of so-called “signature” strikes to eliminate suspected terrorists -- picking targets based in part on their behavior and associates. A former White House official said the U.S. sometimes executes people based on “circumstantial evidence.”
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Update: CIA didn't always know who it was targeting in drone strikes, reports show -- Cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer
My Comment: This is not good news .... and not reassuring. But with 66% of Americans still supporting the U.S. government's drone policy of targeting terrorists .... I do not see any major changes in drone rules of engagement .... even if it is the Pentagon (not the CIA) that ends up running the program.