Drones kept U. At least in public, Obama wrestled with his growing reliance on drones and his use of them to carry out targeted killings. He even ordered the killing of a U. Obama authorized the drone strike that targeted and killed him in September That suggests the weapons were not as precise, or the intelligence as reliable, as the administration has claimed.
In a speech at National Defense University in May , Obama promised to provide more transparency about targeted killings. The tally did not include the wars in Iraq, Syria or Afghanistan. Independent groups put the death toll much higher, saying hundreds of civilians were killed outside the war zones, and many hundreds more in them. Become a Los Angeles Times subscriber today to support collaborations like this one.
Start getting full access to our signature journalism for just 99 cents for the first four weeks. The war in Syria proved the greatest challenge for Obama, and much of his legacy may well depend on how history views his response. Or back down to keep America out of a civil war? Obama initially appeared on the verge of ordering a massive attack. The Pentagon moved warships into place, readied missiles and bombers, dusted off targeting plans and waited for the go signal.
On Aug. The news stunned the group. John Allen , who until recently was the top U. Allen's final days in that job were marred by an investigation linked to the sex scandal that prompted the resignation of David Petraeus as CIA director. Allen was cleared of allegations that he wrote potentially inappropriate e-mails to a woman involved in the scandal.
Joseph Dunford. The United States and its partners in the war in Afghanistan have "struck devastating blows against al Qaeda, and Afghan forces continue to grow stronger with , now in training or on duty," the official said.
A key factor for meeting Obama's plan is the fighting season in Afghanistan, which runs from spring to fall, depending on weather conditions, officials said.
Also on Tuesday, another U. In many ways, Obama has kept his word. In the midst of the Arab Spring, the president led a limited military campaign against Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi with the support of the United Nations and a multinational coalition. But this war, like all wars, must end. To be fair, defining U. By that definition, the U. Other metrics also suggest that the country has not abandoned its wartime footing under Obama.
Additionally, he introduced a conditions-based approach to enhanced military operations in Afghanistan. Unlike the administrations of Obama and George W. Bush before him, Trump has shifted attention away from issues of governance in Afghanistan toward emphasizing the importance of Afghans shouldering the cost of modernizing their security forces.
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