(AFP): United States (US) President Joe Biden has suspended the drone strikes outside of war zones where US forces are operating, reversing the policy of his predecessor Donald Trump, who had given the military free rein.
Addressing a news conference, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said, “Any drone strikes planned against jihadist groups outside of Afghanistan, Syria or Iraq will have to be approved by the White House.”
He described the measure as ‘interim guidance’ that was issued to ensure that the president has full visibility on proposed significant actions. “It’s not meant to be permanent and it doesn’t mean a cessation of strikes,” he added.
“We are clearly focused on the persistent threat of violent extremist organizations, and we’re clearly still going to be committed to working with international partners to counter those threats,” the spokesperson remarked.
Meanwhile, an international newspaper reported that the new guidelines had been secretly passed on to military commanders after Biden came to office on January 20, but were only revealed in recent days.
From his first days in the White House in 2016, Trump had rolled back the controls put in place by his predecessor Barack Obama on armed operations against jihadist extremist groups, saying he trusted the commanders on the ground.
Drone strikes quickly multiplied after that, becoming the only form of operations in some countries where only a handful of US special forces were deployed in support of local governments, such as in Somalia.
Even though the military says its strikes are “surgical,” NGOs have said the attacks often cause civilian casualties, undermining their efficacy in combating extremism.
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