The United States has sanctioned a major expansion of clandestine military operations in both hostile and friendly countries, according to classified documents which emerged today.
General David Petraeus, commander of US Central Command, issued the secret orders in September allowing the Pentagon to engage in espionage and reconnaissance across the Middle East and the Horn of Africa without regular congressional oversight or prior approval from the White House.
Some Pentagon officials told the New York Times they were worried that the expanded role could strain relationships with allies like Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
There are also concerns within the military that American troops serving outside traditional combat zones risk being treated as spies if they are apprehended and thus denied the rights enshrined in the Geneva Convention.
General Petraeus’ order was designed to create networks that could “penetrate, disrupt, defeat or destroy” al-Qaeda and other militant groups as well as “prepare the environment” for future attacks by US or local military forces.
Shortly before the order was issued, Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, one of east Africa’s most wanted al-Qaeda militants, was killed in an attack by helicopter-borne US Special Operations Forces in Somalia .
The seven-page directive also reportedly authorised specific operations in Iran, thought to be focused on gathering intelligence about the country’s nuclear program and identifying dissident groups.
The Joint Unconventional Warfare Task Force Execute Order, signed on September 30, may have laid the foundation for the surge of American military activity in Yemen that began three months later.
Military and intelligence assistance was increased to help Yemeni forces strike al-Qaeda targets while more unmanned aerial drones were deployed.
Central Command has been positioning Reaper drones at a base in the Horn of Africa. Officials said the drones can be used against militants in Yemen and Somalia, and even against pirates who attack ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
“The Defence Department can’t be caught flat-footed,” one Pentagon official told the New York Times.
During the Bush administration, Donald Rumsfeld, the Defence Secretary at the time, signed-off on a series of similar clandestine military operations.
Throughout the 20th century, secret operations in countries at peace with the US were traditionally carried out by the CIA. A direct chain of command that ran directly from the Agency to the president was also overseen by a Congressional committee.
Although there is no legal obligation under the new order, Pentagon officials say any significant ventures are cleared through the National Security Council.
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