The report by National Intelligence Director James Clapper said the U.S. conducted 473 counterterrorism strikes, including those by unmanned drones, between January 2009 and December 2015, killing 2,372 to 2,581 combatants in those years. Lethal force can also be undertaken only against a lawful target that poses a "continuing, imminent threat" to Americans. The principles, released with redactions, provide more detail on the conditions for drone strikes and other direct action than the White House revealed earlier when it summarized the document in a fact sheet in 2013. It was the first such public assessment and a response to growing pressure for more information about lethal U.S. operations overseas. "As the president has said, 'near certainty' is the 'highest standard we can set,'" Price said.

Source: New York Times August 06, 2016 20:37 UTC