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US President Barack Obama has personally overseen a top-secretprocess for determining which Al-Qaeda suspects should be placed ona "kill list," the New York Times reported Tuesday. The Times, citing dozens of top officials and former advisers, saidthe administration had developed what it termed the "kill list" aspart of a stepped-up drone war against Al-Qaeda and its affiliatesin Pakistan and Yemen. "He is determined that he will make these decisions about how farand wide these operations will go," it quoted National SecurityAdviser Thomas Donilon as saying. "His view is that he's responsible for the position of the UnitedStates in the world... He's determined to keep the tether prettyshort." The Times described the top-secret process, which begins with some100 counter-terrorism officials sifting through biographies and"nominating" suspects in Yemen and Somalia to be added to the killlist during a secure video conference run by the Pentagon. The CIA carries out a separate process for suspects in Pakistan, itsaid. The nominations then go to Obama, who signs off on every strike inYemen and Somalia and also on especially complex and risky strikesin Pakistan -- about a third of the total, the Times said. Obama personally approves the killing of top suspects, such asQaeda preacher Anwar al-Awlaqi -- a US citizen -- who was killed bya US drone strike in Yemen last year. The Times quoted former White House chief of staff William Daley assaying that Obama called the decision to strike Awlaqi "an easyone," but Daley said some officials had expressed some qualms aboutthe kill list. "One guy gets knocked off, and the guy's driver, who's No. 21,becomes 20?" the Times quoted Daley as saying. "At what point areyou just filling the bucket with numbers?" The Times also described an internal debate over theadministration's disputed method for counting casualties, in whichmen of fighting age within striking distance of a suspect areconsidered militants. It quoted one official as saying that Al-Qaeda was an insular,paranoid organization that would keep its distance from outsiders. But others said the Obama administration's claim that the number ofcivilians killed in drone strikes in Pakistan was in the "singledigits" was unrealistic. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China Refrigerator Door Handle , Aluminum Extrusion Profiles for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Refrigerator Door Handle.
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