More drones for the CIA?

The CIA are lobbying Washington to expand its drone fleet. Currently the intelligence agency possesses between 30 and 35 aircraft and an increase would continue the transformation of the CIA into a paramilitary force.

The Washington Post reports: "the proposal by CIA Director David H. Petraeus would bolster the agency’s ability to sustain its campaigns of lethal strikes in Pakistan and Yemen and enable it, if directed, to shift aircraft to emerging al-Qaeda threats in North Africa or other trouble spots."

The collapse of governments in Libya and Mali has allowed Al-Qaeda to gain weapons and territory in the region.

Concerns about the ethics of drone warfare have grown as the number of attacks rises under Obama.