Obama Orders Another Drone Strike That Mistakenly Kills 15 Civilians In Yemen

The highlight of President Barack Obama's day is when he gets to issue an order to our military to release another drone into the airspace of a foreign country on a mission to kill people he believes are suspected of engaging in terrorism. He gets his rocks off watching snuff films of the deadly attacks. Talking to aides about targeted drone strikes, Obama said, "I'm really good at killing people," according to a book on the 2012 presidential campaign, "Double Down: Game Change 2012." His latest drone strike in Yemen missed its target and killed 15 people on their way to a wedding. And then clueless Americans wonder why so much of the world views the United States so negatively. From Reuters:

"An air strike missed its target and hit a wedding car convoy, ten people were killed immediately and another five who were injured died after being admitted to the hospital," one security official said.

Five more people were injured, the officials said.

The United States has stepped up drone strikes as part of a campaign against Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), regarded by Washington as the most active wing of the militant network.

Yemen, AQAP's main stronghold, is among a handful of countries where the United States acknowledges using drones, although it does not comment on the practice.

Human Rights Watch said in a detailed report in August that U.S. missile strikes, including armed drone attacks, have killed dozens of civilians in Yemen.

Stabilizing the country, which is also struggling with southern separatists and northern rebels, is an international priority due to fears of disorder in a state that flanks top oil producer Saudi Arabia and major shipping lanes.

On Monday, missiles fired from a U.S. drone killed at least three people travelling in a car in eastern Yemen.

In other news, it turns out the government has been lying for years about an ex-FBI agent who went missing in Iran in 2007 on what was supposedly a private business trip. The Washington Post reports that government officials lied to Congress and the public when it denied the Iranian government's claim that Robert Levinson was a government spy employed by the CIA. The government now says that Levinson was sent on a rogue mission by CIA officials not authorized to run overseas operations. Both former Secretary of States Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton issued misleading public statements concerning Levinson in hopes they could diplomatically convince the Iranians to release him. The CIA disciplined several employees of the agency and paid $2.5 million to Levinson's wife and an additional $120,000 owed to her missing husband for the renewal of his contract. His whereabouts remain unknown, although the government suspects he is likely dead due to his age and poor health. A 54-second video of Levinson, who appeared in poor condition, surfaced in 2010.