Predator done firing Hellfire missile. Photo: wiki commons.

CS Monitor – President Obama publicly acknowledged the covert US drone program in Pakistan during a Q&A Monday – the first public admission of what CNN described as “the worst kept secret in Washington and Pakistan.”

The US has kept quiet about the program partially for the sake of the Pakistani government, which publicly and vociferously condemns the program because of strong public opposition at home, but still permits the strikes. The drones target Al Qaeda and Taliban militants based in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) along the Afghan border.

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