9 Feb 2013

Drone strikes defended by CIA nominee

9:15 am on 9 February 2013

CIA director nominee John Brennan has defended the US drone-strikes programme at a Senate confirmation hearing.

Mr Brennan said the United States took such action only as a last resort and was careful to prevent civilian deaths.

The hearing was repeatedly interrupted by protesters as the nominee began to deliver his testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Mr Brennan, 57, who is President Barack Obama's top White House counter-terrorism adviser, was a senior CIA official under President George W Bush.

The US has ordered about 350 drone strikes in Pakistan since 2004 - according to data from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the New American Foundation, with the majority occurring during the Obama administration.

The BBC reports there has been no suggestion that members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence object to Mr Brennan's nomination. He is expected to be confirmed by the panel and later by the full Senate.

Recent opinion polls have suggested that the US public generally supports the drone programme.