US President Joe Biden at the White House.TOM BRENNER / Reuters
The Biden Administration has secretly imposed time limits on drone attacks targeting suspected terrorists and commando raids outside of war zones in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq, according to
The New York Times
.
The measure was not publicly announced when it was enacted on January 20, the day of President Joe Biden's inauguration.
The authorities are also reviewing how much room for maneuver to give the military and the CIA in counterterrorism operations compared to those established during the government of Donald Trump.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was the one who imposed the restriction, according to Administration employees who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Among the modifications to the attack plans, it was also included that the Army and the CIA must have the approval of the White House before attempting a mission to kill or capture suspects in areas where the US Armed Forces have few or no troops. , like Somalia, Yemen and Libya.
During the Trump era, this permission was not necessary, but they did require the approval of the US ambassador of the country where the operation was carried out, meet certain requirements and justify the attack.
Legal issues
The authorities in charge of this matter explained to the US newspaper that these stricter controls are an interim solution while the Biden administration reviews the anti-terrorism policy and procedures to kill or capture suspects outside the combat zones established by the Trump Administration.
Although the former Republican president significantly relaxed the limits on counterterrorism attacks outside the war zones, which drag legal and political problems, the number of missions was lower during his term than during the Barack Obama administration, according to the Times.
The use of drones for counterterrorism operations has been used during the last three administrations.
In Obama's first term, with Biden as vice president, there was a significant escalation in targeted assassinations using remotely piloted aircraft.
In his second term, significant restrictions were imposed on this practice.
The changes adopted by Biden since he came to the White House have practically paralyzed this type of operation.
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