Washington: A Justice Department document has said it is legal for the government to kill US citizens abroad if it believes they are senior al Qaeda leaders continually engaged in operations aimed at killing Americans.
The confidential memo, first reported yesterday by NBC News, provides a legal rationale behind the Obama administration's use of drone strikes against al Qaeda suspects.
The 16-page document says that delaying action against individuals continually planning to kill Americans would create an unacceptably high risk.
It adds that the threat posed by al-Qaeda and its associated forces demands a broader concept of when a person continually planning terror attacks presents an imminent threat.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, February 05, 2013, 20:36