For years on end the United States has been openly attacking targets in other countries using its drones, or what can be described as guided bombs, in flagrant violation of international law and norms of relations between sovereign states. It has killed thousands of innocent citizens besides the terrorists it targeted in these attacks .Not even the US personnel involved in the operation can question the fact that more innocent civilians have been killed in these attacks than the terrorists targeted by them.

These attacks have been carried out by the US in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen. But the biggest sufferers have been Pakistanis where the largest number of attacks has been made and where thousands of civilians have been killed.

Notwithstanding its claims, the US has been carrying out these attacks without the formal permission of the countries attacked for each particular operation. The most that it has done is to take individuals, like military rulers or its puppets in the governments, into confidence. But there too it has flouted the understanding it claims to have reached and used that as a blanket permission to fire at any target at will killing the unconcerned civilians too.

This open violation of the sovereignty of the various countries and massacre of innocent people has brought about strong condemnation of the US from the people in the affected countries.

Reacting to the strong protests of the people in the affected countries and their condemnation of the US, President Obama has brought about some cosmetic changes in the policy regarding drones. The drones operation has been transferred from the CIA to the Pentagon, and the President has also promised to limit the use of drones only 'when a threat (to US security) is imminent', a nuanced change from the previous policy of launching strikes against 'a significant target'.

But the US President has stuck to the policy of unilaterally striking at targets in other countries violating their sovereignty and the UN Charter. This is nothing short of international terrorism. It is significant that President Obama is not free to use the drones against targets within United States, but he has been indiscriminately hitting targets in other countries much to the anger of the people in those countries.

The least that can be expected of the US President is that he would respect the territorial sovereignty, especially of the friendly countries which have been already cooperating with it in the fight against terrorism.

The US President must realize that he can win the war against terrorism only with the support and willing cooperation of the people of the countries concerned. If the US fails to value the lives and liberties of the people of the other countries, then it should not expect them to give any sacrifices, however lofty be its professed aims.

Strikes by drones on targets in other countries amounts to an even greater illegality than the Guantanamo Bay prison maintained by the United States. Regretfully, President Obama has failed to stop either of the two.

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