Defense

Obama urges suit dismissal

The Obama administration is urging a federal court to dismiss a damage lawsuit over the drone-strike killings of three U.S. citizens in Yemen last year, incl...

Federal News Radio Custom Media@WTOPWFEDcustom

December 17, 2012 10:38 am

< a min read

The Obama administration is urging a federal court to dismiss a damage lawsuit over the drone-strike killings of three U.S. citizens in Yemen last year, including an al-Qaida cleric. The Associate Press is reporting that, In a court filing Friday, the Justice Department said the issue is best handled by the government’s political branches, not the judiciary. U.S.-born al-Qaida leader Anwar al-Awlaki (ahn-WAHR’ al-aw-LAH’-kee) and al-Qaida propagandist Samir Khan were killed in a drone strike in September 2011. Al-Awlaki’s son, Abdulrahman, was killed the following month.