This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22633934
The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| US confirms four American citizens killed by drones | US confirms four American citizens killed by drones |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The US attorney general has acknowledged four US citizens were killed in drone strikes since 2009. | The US attorney general has acknowledged four US citizens were killed in drone strikes since 2009. |
| The US specifically targeted and killed Anwar al-Awlaki, Eric Holder wrote in a letter to the Senate judiciary panel. | The US specifically targeted and killed Anwar al-Awlaki, Eric Holder wrote in a letter to the Senate judiciary panel. |
| Awlaki's 16-year-old son Abdulrahman, Samir Khan and Jude Mohammad were "not specifically targeted by the US". | Awlaki's 16-year-old son Abdulrahman, Samir Khan and Jude Mohammad were "not specifically targeted by the US". |
| The disclosure of the killings in Yemen and Pakistan marks the first formal public acknowledgement of the US citizen deaths in drone strikes. | |
| "The president has directed me to disclose certain information that until now has been properly classified," Mr Holder wrote. | "The president has directed me to disclose certain information that until now has been properly classified," Mr Holder wrote. |
| America's top law enforcement official defended the killing of Awlaki, whom he described as a "senior operational leader" of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). | America's top law enforcement official defended the killing of Awlaki, whom he described as a "senior operational leader" of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). |
| Mr Holder said Awlaki was "intimately involved in detailed planning and putting in place plots against US persons". | Mr Holder said Awlaki was "intimately involved in detailed planning and putting in place plots against US persons". |
| Mr Holder added officials "appropriately concluded that [Awlaki] posed a continuing and imminent threat" to the US. | Mr Holder added officials "appropriately concluded that [Awlaki] posed a continuing and imminent threat" to the US. |
| The administration's disclosure comes the day before President Barack Obama is due to give a speech on national security. | |
| The attorney general said the Obama administration had been transparent with Congress over its policy on drone strikes. | |
| He cited an unclassified paper the justice department provided to congressmen that outlined the legal justification for the attacks. | |
| In that document and in a speech at Northwestern University in March 2012, Mr Holder said strikes against US citizens could only be justified if the person posed an imminent threat of violent attack against the US, could not be captured, and the strike was conducted in a way that was consistent with the laws of war. |