Washington: US President Barack Obama has admitted that he is struggling with his administration’s controversial drone programme.
“It's very important for the President and the entire culture of our national security team to continually ask tough questions about, are we doing the right thing, are we abiding by rule of law, are we abiding by due process,” Obama told CNN.
According to Politico, Obama said that any good commander-in-chief would ‘struggle with issues of war and peace and fighting terrorism and the difficulties of dealing with an opponent that has no rules’.
“That's something that you have to struggle with,” he added.
In recent interview with local media, Obama sought to assure Americans that the program was limited and careful.
According to the report, Obama also stressed that the US goes out of the way to avoid collateral damage.
“We are very careful about avoiding civilian casualties,” the report quoted him, as saying.
“In fact, there are a whole bunch of situations where we will not engage in operations if we think there's going to be civilian casualties involved,” he added.
In the long term, Obama said that drones were not the best tool for keeping Americans safe.
“Our most powerful tool over the long term to reduce the terrorist threat is to live up to our values and to be able to shape public opinion not just here but around the world that senseless violence is not a way to resolve political difference,” he added.
ANI
First Published: Friday, September 07, 2012, 16:27