Copy that, LangleyTHROUGH a mixture of leaks and semi-official confirmations, a picture is beginning to emerge of how the Trump administration will loosen the rules for counter-terrorism operations laid down by its predecessor. Some of the changes form part of the preliminary plan for accelerating the destruction of Islamic State (IS) that James Mattis, the defence secretary, was ordered by Mr Trump to conclude within 30 days. Mr Mattis has to tread a delicate path between the bombast of Mr Trump’s campaign promise to “bomb the shit” out of ISIS and the operational constraints imposed by Barack Obama, which many military and intelligence officers thought unduly restrictive.
Among the changes that are in the pipeline (or are already being quietly implemented) is a loosening of the guidelines Mr Obama set for drone strikes and targeted killings in places that are not counted as war zones, such as Yemen, Somalia and Libya. Although Mr Obama authorised extensive use of drones to kill terrorists, particularly al-Qaeda groups in Pakistan’s North Waziristan, he became uncomfortable about the ease with which America could kill...Continue reading
Source: United States http://ift.tt/2ns338p
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