Ewen MacAskill: US Drone Strikes in Yemen to Prevent Terrorism.

US defense secretary Leon Panetta defended the use of drones to kill terror suspects amid reports that the CIA is seeking permission to expand strikes in Yemen, a move that renewed debate about the legality of the strategy. Panetta told a congressional hearing that such drone strikes were precise, and targeted only terrorists planning attacks on the US. But an international legal expert countered that such strikes were unlawful, executing suspects without a trial. Such a strategy was questionable enough when employed in Afghanistan but was doubly so in Yemen, given that the US is not at war there, she said. The Washington Post reported that the CIA was seeking a wider definition of targets in Yemen, given so it can launch drones against individuals engaged in behavior deemed suspicious, such as unloading explosives or gathering at suspected al-Qaida compounds. The White House has not yet made a decision. The US has been using drones against suspected militants since 2002 in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and around the Horn of Africa. The use of drones in Yemen has been increasing, with Washington fearful about the threat posed to the Yemeni government from insurgents. There have been about eight drone strikes in Yemen this year, with innocent civilians among the casualties. Insurgents from a group allegedly linked to al-Qaida claimed three of its members were killed by a drone. The Yemeni government claims it was a rocket.