US News and World Report: Obama, CIA Cornered Into Troubling 'Signature Strikes'
Al-Qaida No. 2 Nasir al-Wahishi’s death reportedly an accident, hints at effects of U.S. retrenchment.
Reports that the U.S. did not intentionally target Nasir al-Wahishi in a recent drone strike in Yemen highlights a troubling trend in America's counterterrorism operations, and signals Obama administration policies of limiting U.S. warfighting abroad may now force it into using a controversial and dangerous tactic known as "signature strikes."
Citing unnamed officials, The Washington Post reports that an armed drone under the control of the CIA targeted a group of al-Qaida operatives in Yemen, identifying them only by a pattern of activity, not their specific identities. It was only later that the CIA learned al-Wahishi was among the casualties, striking what is considered the most significant blow to the terrorist organization since killing Osama bin Laden in 2011.
Update: CIA didn’t know strike would hit al-Qaeda leader. -- Washington Post
WNU Editor: How times change .... 40 years ago there was condemnation on reports of U.S. plans to commit targeted killings ... today .... ho-hum.
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