Aspen, July 30(ANI): Former US Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair has said that the United States should stop its drone campaign in Pakistan, and reconsider the 80 billion dollars it spends to fight terrorism.
Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum, Blair said the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) unmanned aircraft operation aimed at Al Qaeda has backfired by damaging the US-Pakistan ties.
He suggested giving Pakistan, a greater say in what gets hit by drone strikes and when.
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta had lauded the drone campaign as a key tool to uproot Al Qaeda and other terrorists in Pakistan's tribal areas.
Blair, however, said the continuing drone strikes are more of a nuisance than a real threat to Al Qaeda, and that only a ground campaign by Pakistan would truly threaten terrorist organisations.
"It can sustain its level of resistance to an air-only campaign," the Daily Times quoted Blair, as saying.
He suggested cutting the cost of hunting terrorists by relying more on local forces in places like Yemen and Somalia.
"That's 20 million dollars for each of these people ... is that proportionate?" he asked.
Blair, who was forced to resign by the Obama administration, said the White House undermined his authority as the CIA Director by siding with the organization, instead of directing it to listen to him.
"They sided enough with the CIA in ways that were public enough that it undercut my position," Blair said. (ANI)
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