U.S. Govt. refuses to share drones data with court citing threat to national security

Washington, June 22 (ANI): The U.S. government has asked a federal court to reject lawsuits demanding the release of documents on CIA drone strikes targeting suspected militants abroad, saying the entire subject is "classified".

The U.S. government lawyers filed a brief to a district court in New York insisting on keeping a veil of secrecy around the drone campaign, which has killed numerous Al-Qaeda figures and associates in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, reports The Nation.

"Whether or not the CIA has the authority to be, or is in fact, directly involved in targeted lethal operations remains classified," the government brief stated.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and The New York Times had filed lawsuits after having requested papers on the drone bombing campaign under the Freedom of Information Act. The organisations had requested documents explaining the legal basis for the raids and the killing of terror suspects who are U.S. citizens, such as the U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi who was taken out last year in a drone strike.

The ACLU had called on President Barack Obama's administration to reveal information "about the process by which individuals, including American citizens, are added to government kill lists."

Government lawyers ruled out releasing documents related to the drone strikes, arguing that it would pose a threat to national security.

U.S. officials say the drone strikes have decimated Al-Qaeda's core leadership and saved American lives, but the raids have caused an unknown number of civilian casualties and sparked outrage in Pakistan. (ANI)