The source of this news: US Pacific Commander Admiral Robert Willard at a Congressional hearing a few weeks ago.
A sample of reaction within those countries is this thoughtful Bangladesh perspective that raises many legal and political questions that equally well apply to the relations between the U.S. government and Americans.
The War on Terror being conducted by the U.S. government, directly under the orders of its Commander in Chief, Barack Obama, is out of control. By that I mean that Obama is acting way beyond lawful and accountable control. He orders in U.S. forces where he wills, in secrecy, without there being fixed or known responsibilities for their use, without accountability for collateral damage, breaking the laws and political customs of countries including those of America, and using special forces for wide ranging purposes of his own choosing. They are his private army, funded by an approving Congress. The U.S. can withdraw ordinary forces all day long, while simultaneously maintaining special forces where it wills to carry out all sorts of tasks. They include training foreign military forces and police, paying bribes, providing humanitarian aid, spying, gathering intelligence, forging political alliances, killing, conducting open battles, patrolling, maintaining roadblocks, assassinations, calling in air strikes, disarming bombs, dispatching drones. You name it, they’ll do it, under orders of whoever is president.
10:16 am on March 14, 2012
