Please go to link for video.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/244401.html
In recent days, at least 17 people have lost their lives in Pakistan and Yemen following the drone strikes, which Washington claims are targeted at suspected terrorists in the countries.
Yemeni opposition activist and Nobel Peace laureate Tawakul Karman says US drone strikes in southern Yemen are ineffective because they are hitting mainly civilians.
Tribal leaders in Yemen have warned that the attacks have been turning more Yemenis against Sana’a and Washington.
Elsewhere in Pakistan, Waziristan and other tribal northwestern regions been frequently targeted by US drones over the past few years.
Figures show that the American drone strikes have killed at least 212 people in Yemen and Pakistan in the month of May.
The aerial attacks were initiated by former US President George W. Bush but have been escalated under President Barack Obama.
The following is a rush transcript of Press TV’s interview with Tighe Barry, an American political activist with CODEPINK in Washington, about the issue:
Press TV: The first question that comes to mind is How legal are these drone strikes. What international authority allows the US to carry out such attacks?
Barry: I would like to start out with what you stated. These are suspected terrorists or suspected evildoers, as term is used by our government. These drone strikes are definitely illegal under the international law.
The US at one point says it is in a war on terror and with terrorists. These are wars that are allowed to conduct. These wars are conducted by a group called CIA. These are CIA drone strikes. We do not know the criteria that they are using to pick out the suspected terrorists.
Dennis Kucinich, the representative from Ohio, has called on the United States government in a bill in the House of Representatives to give us the criteria of how they are picking up their list of suspects; how they are conducting these weapon strikes; and who is actually in charge of all the equipment that has been in use.
At this point, everything that I just mentioned is unknown to the American public and even to our House representatives.
Press TV: Why is it that only Muslim countries are the target?
Barry: It is obvious. It is easy for them to use the Muslims as a scapegoat. The United States has been in dangerous peril of its economy collapsing; Europe is falling into economic collapse. So, they find an easy scapegoat to take the people’s minds off of what is truly affecting their everyday lives.
These drone strikes are just a tool that Obama is using to not take prisoners, so that the truth won’t one day be revealed that they killed everyone while they are doing the drone strikes; [so that] there is nobody to come out to say that they were not terrorists and there is no terrorist activity in Yemen, Pakistan, in the northern region of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and that we use these weapons in Somali and Sudan.
Press TV: It's interesting that one report indicated that President Obama is given a list of nominees and then he signs the list for the drones to kill those nominees. Many say what Obama is actually doing is committing summary executions?
Barry: Absolutely; and some of these people who have been killed so far are Americans; are children; He has put children on the list of targets. The president has no authority to put anyone on a hit list.
In 1973, when it was revealed that the United States had a secret hit list and they attempted to kill leaders overseas, this was put into our law that no president has this authority. Obama is usurping the constitution and it is funny you are mentioning the Nobel Peace Prize winners, because Barack Obama is a Nobel Peace Prize winner that is clearly murdering people overseas.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/244401.html
The US has urged on continuing its assassination drone strikes in Yemen and Pakistan, in defiance of the criticisms which condemn the operations as aggressions against civilians.
In recent days, at least 17 people have lost their lives in Pakistan and Yemen following the drone strikes, which Washington claims are targeted at suspected terrorists in the countries.
Yemeni opposition activist and Nobel Peace laureate Tawakul Karman says US drone strikes in southern Yemen are ineffective because they are hitting mainly civilians.
Tribal leaders in Yemen have warned that the attacks have been turning more Yemenis against Sana’a and Washington.
Elsewhere in Pakistan, Waziristan and other tribal northwestern regions been frequently targeted by US drones over the past few years.
Figures show that the American drone strikes have killed at least 212 people in Yemen and Pakistan in the month of May.
The aerial attacks were initiated by former US President George W. Bush but have been escalated under President Barack Obama.
The following is a rush transcript of Press TV’s interview with Tighe Barry, an American political activist with CODEPINK in Washington, about the issue:
Press TV: The first question that comes to mind is How legal are these drone strikes. What international authority allows the US to carry out such attacks?
Barry: I would like to start out with what you stated. These are suspected terrorists or suspected evildoers, as term is used by our government. These drone strikes are definitely illegal under the international law.
The US at one point says it is in a war on terror and with terrorists. These are wars that are allowed to conduct. These wars are conducted by a group called CIA. These are CIA drone strikes. We do not know the criteria that they are using to pick out the suspected terrorists.
Dennis Kucinich, the representative from Ohio, has called on the United States government in a bill in the House of Representatives to give us the criteria of how they are picking up their list of suspects; how they are conducting these weapon strikes; and who is actually in charge of all the equipment that has been in use.
At this point, everything that I just mentioned is unknown to the American public and even to our House representatives.
Press TV: Why is it that only Muslim countries are the target?
Barry: It is obvious. It is easy for them to use the Muslims as a scapegoat. The United States has been in dangerous peril of its economy collapsing; Europe is falling into economic collapse. So, they find an easy scapegoat to take the people’s minds off of what is truly affecting their everyday lives.
These drone strikes are just a tool that Obama is using to not take prisoners, so that the truth won’t one day be revealed that they killed everyone while they are doing the drone strikes; [so that] there is nobody to come out to say that they were not terrorists and there is no terrorist activity in Yemen, Pakistan, in the northern region of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and that we use these weapons in Somali and Sudan.
Press TV: It's interesting that one report indicated that President Obama is given a list of nominees and then he signs the list for the drones to kill those nominees. Many say what Obama is actually doing is committing summary executions?
Barry: Absolutely; and some of these people who have been killed so far are Americans; are children; He has put children on the list of targets. The president has no authority to put anyone on a hit list.
In 1973, when it was revealed that the United States had a secret hit list and they attempted to kill leaders overseas, this was put into our law that no president has this authority. Obama is usurping the constitution and it is funny you are mentioning the Nobel Peace Prize winners, because Barack Obama is a Nobel Peace Prize winner that is clearly murdering people overseas.
