"I want to express our grief and condolences for the families of two hostages," Obama said from the White House briefing room, noting that at the time, the U.S. believed no civilians were present at the operation site.
"I want to express our grief and condolences for the families of two hostages," Obama said from the White House briefing room, noting that at the time, the U.S. believed no civilians were present at the operation site.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters today that the compound had received hundreds of hours of overhead surveillance prior to the drone strike. The U.S. official said Weinstein and LoPorto were likely “hidden and well concealed” which is why the surveillance did not indicate they were there.
According to Earnest, just weeks after the strike, initial indications emerged that Weinstein may have been killed. It was not until a few days ago that the U.S. intelligence community assessed with a high degree of confidence that Weinstein and LoPorto had been killed in the strikes.
The official said that the strikes did not receive Presidential approval as they were conducted within the bounds of existing legal guidelines for such strikes.
Though the administration asserted in a statement that the drone operation was “lawful and conducted consistent with our counter-terrorism policies,” President Obama promised a thorough independent review, saying he declassified the mission "because the Weinstein and Lo Porto families deserve to know the truth."
In a video released by al Qaeda in 2012, Weinstein, a former peace corps and U.S. aid official abducted from his home in Lahore, Pakistan, pleaded with Obama to comply with the terrorists’ demands.