CIA want more drone fleet expansion in Pakistan

WASHINGTON: The CIA is urging the White House to approve a significant expansion of the drone fleet, a move that would extend the spy service's decade-long transformation into a paramilitary force, a US daily newspaper said in a report.



Citing a US official, the Washington Post reported that the proposal by CIA Director David H. Petraeus would bolster the agency's ability to sustain its campaigns of lethal strikes in Pakistan and Yemen.

If approved, the CIA could add as many as 10 drones, the officials said, to an inventory that has ranged between 30 and 35 over the past few years, the official told the Washington Post.

US officials said that the proposal was recently submitted to the National Security Council, but that the White House has not made a decision. In the past, officials from the Pentagon and other departments have raised concerns about the CIA's expanding arsenal and involvement in lethal operations, but a senior Defense official said that the Pentagon had not opposed the agency's current plan. (Monitoring Desk)