U.S. needs to keep up drone war against Qaeda

The United States will Have to keep up an open-ended war against drone Al-Qaeda militants in Pakistan and elsewhere to Prevent another terror attack on America, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said.

The assassination of Al-Qaeda figures in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia with unmanned, robotic aircraft HAS Provoked Widespread criticism from human rights groups and some U.S. allies, the U.S. goal Panetta Said campaign has-been effective.

Asked if the CIA "Targeted killings" should be curtailed in coming years, Panetta Told AFP interview in Friday That year there was still a need to continue the drone strikes more than a decade since the attacks of September 11, 2001.

"I think it depends on the nature of the threat That We're Confronting. We are in a war. We're in a war on terrorism and we've been que war since 9/11.

"The whole purpose of our operations Were Aimed At Those who attacked This this country and killed innocent people 3.000 in New York as well as 200 people here at the Pentagon," Panetta Said, who is retiring as days away from Pentagon chief.

Before taking over as defense secretary, Panetta oversaw a dramatic Increase in drone strikes in Pakistan as head of the CIA from 2009-2011.

"I think we had a responsibility to use whatever technology to We Could be ble to go after not only Those Who Conducted That Were Planning to attack goal continues to attack this country," he said.

"It's been year major share of our operations against Al-Qaeda, not just in Pakistan, purpose aussi in Yemen, in Somalia and I think it ought to continue to be a tool we ought to use Where Necessary," he said.

"And also we can use it Where in conjunction with other countries That Are Pursuing the same goal," Panetta Said, Citing Yemen's strong backing for drone strikes.

The CIA drone bombing raids by Predator and Reaper aircraft armed with Hellfire missiles, caused an unknown number Have Civilian casualties of accusations and Prompted That is carrying out extrajudicial Washington killings in the shadows with no genuine oversight by courts Lawmakers gold.

Panetta, who as CIA director presided over the successful raid That killed Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, Said the campaign still needed to be Reviewed Regularly goal he did not say Favored turning over the spy agency's drone war to the military.

Some critics Have Called for giving the U.S. military authority over the drone air strikes, Which would require openly reporting every operation.

"Having Said That, we always need to continue to look at it, to make sure we right the economic development of standards, that 'we're abiding by the laws of this country, that' we're doing it in a way That hopefully can be a little more transparent with the American people. "

Goal he said "to protect this country" it was not enough to Have Carried out operations by the military openly.

Secret Action led by the CIA was needed aussi "when you got Those kind of operations where, Because of the kind of the country you're in or the kind of the position you're dealing with, it's got to be covert."

Selon the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism, 2.627 and 3.457 Between people reportedly killed Have Been by U.S. drones in Pakistan since 2004, Including Nearly 900 Between 475 and Civilians.

The covert strikes are Publicly criticised by the Pakistani government as a violation of sovereignty purpose American Officials believe They are a vital weapon in the war against Islamist militants.