Obama, war criminal for terror drone strikes: Cornel West

An American professor has accused US President Barack Obama of being a “war criminal” over Washington’s assassination drone program.

Princeton professor Cornel West said on Friday that “over 200 children so far” have been killed as a result of US assassination drone strikes. “Let us not be deceived: Nixon, Bush, Obama, they’re war criminals.”

“They have killed innocent people in the name of the struggle for freedom, but they’re suspending the law, very much like Wall Street criminals. The law is suspended for them, but the law applies for the rest of us,” West stated.

The remarks came at a time when a national debate is going on over the Obama administration’s use of unmanned aircraft overseas.

“We’ve been talking about this for a good while, the immorality of drones, dropping bombs on innocent people,” West added.

On Friday, the US Federal Aviation Administration announced that it has issued some 1,428 permits for domestic drone operators since 2007 and that another 10,000 permits could be issued over the next five years.

Washington has used its assassination and surveillance drones in several countries including Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Somalia, causing many civilian casualties.