Civilian deaths due to drones are not many, Obama says
President Barack Obama candidly addressed the United States' covert drone program in an online discussion group, officially acknowledging the controversial use of the unmanned aerial vehicles in Pakistan and elsewhere, and defending their missions, according to The New York Times.
The clandestine program was “kept on a very tight leash,” the Times quoted the president saying, and the use of drones has let the United States develop “pinpoint” targeting to avoid more intrusive military action. The CIA-led program has been controversial and a source of contention between the U.S. and Pakistan; though Obama said drone strikes have not led to a high number of civilian casualties, the Times reported.
Obama candidly spoke of the CIA covert program, the Times reported, during a Web interview Monday sponsored by Google Plus.
