Reuters: Politics: Obama to discuss al Qaeda, drones, Guantanamo Bay in Thursday speech

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Obama to discuss al Qaeda, drones, Guantanamo Bay in Thursday speech May 19th 2013, 15:47 Tweet Share this Email Print Related News After tough week, Obama tries to change the subject to jobs Fri, May 17 2013 Republican expects more Benghazi "whistle blowers" Mon, May 13 2013 Benghazi emails put pressure on White House Fri, May 10 2013 Idea that American held by Venezuela is a spy 'ridiculous:' Obama Sun, May 5 2013 Amid new security threats, some in Congress look to update 9/11 law Thu, May 2 2013 Analysis & Opinion Washington-gate Why the underwear-bomber leak infuriated the Obama administration U.S. President Barack Obama steps aboard Air Force one at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, May 19, 2013. Credit: Reuters/Jason Reed By Steve Holland ATLANTA | Sun May 19, 2013 11:47am EDT ATLANTA (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, under fire for security lapses at a U.S. mission in Libya, will in a speech on Thursday lay out his wide-ranging counter-terrorism policy, from the controversial use of drones to efforts to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Obama's use of military drone aircraft to attack extremists has drawn fire and increased tensions in countries like Pakistan and been criticized by human rights activists in the United States. His inability to follow through on a 2008 campaign pledge to close the Guantanamo Bay prison has been dramatized by a hunger strike among many of the terrorism suspects being held there. And the resurgence in recent weeks of questions surrounding the deaths of U.S. ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three other Americans in an attack on a U.S. facility in Benghazi, Libya, last year has put Obama on the defensive. In his State of the Union speech early this year Obama pledged to work with Congress to make certain that the U.S. targeting, detention and prosecution of terrorism suspects was consistent with U.S. law. A White House official said Obama would address these issues in a speech on Thursday at the National Defense University in Washington. He will say that al Qaeda has been significantly degraded but remains a threat, along with its affiliates, the official said on condition of anonymity. "He will review the state of the threats we face, particularly as al Qaeda's core has weakened but new dangers have emerged," said the official. Obama also will discuss the policy and legal framework under which the United States acts against terrorism threats, including the use of drones. "He will review our detention policy and efforts to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, and he will frame the future of our efforts against al Qaeda, its affiliates and adherents," the official said. (Reporting By Steve Holland; Editing by Paul Simao) Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above.

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