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View Full Version : US drone strikes being used as alternative to Guantánamo, lawyer says




sailingaway
05-02-2013, 11:13 PM
The lawyer who first drew up White House policy on lethal drone strikes has accused the Obama administration of overusing them because of its reluctance to capture prisoners that would otherwise have to be sent to Guantánamo Bay.

John Bellinger, who was responsible for drafting the legal framework for targeted drone killings while working for George W Bush after 9/11, said he believed their use had increased since because President Obama was unwilling to deal with the consequences of jailing suspected al-Qaida members.

"This government has decided that instead of detaining members of al-Qaida [at Guantánamo] they are going to kill them," he told a conference at the Bipartisan Policy Center.

more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/02/us-drone-strikes-guantanamo

TheTexan
05-02-2013, 11:33 PM
When I heard Guantanamo might be closed, I knew there must be a catch.... one step forward, two steps back...

fr33
05-02-2013, 11:36 PM
Half the prisoners in Guantanamo have been said to be innocent. They have more morals than those that imprison them. I'm sure the same goes for some of those getting killed by drone strikes.

sailingaway
05-02-2013, 11:40 PM
Half the prisoners in Guantanamo have been said to be innocent. They have more morals than those that imprison them. I'm sure the same goes for some of those getting killed by drone strikes.

by some counts it is 50:1 collateral hits to target, so I'd say that is pretty likely.