CIA: US unsuccessful in “targeted killings”

US counterinsurgency programs and drone strikes targeting militants in Iraq and Afghanistan have been unsuccessful, shows a leaked CIA report.

The report shows that the “targeted killings” have had “limited results” and that they bolster the support of the extremists groups.

The 18-page document, dated July 7, 2009, was posted by WikiLeaks on Thursday. It was made under former CIA director Leon Panetta a few months before President Barack Obama ordered a “surge” of troops in Afghanistan.

It tackles the pros and cons of “high value targeting” operations conducted “against specific individuals or networks.” High Value Targets is the term used to describe senior leaders in militant organizations.

“HVT operations can play a useful role when they are part of a broader counterinsurgency strategy,” the report suggested.

“The Taliban has a high overall ability to replace lost leaders,” the report confirmed.

The document also acknowledges that the early targeting against al Qaeda leaders in Iraq “did little to slow AQI’s momentum”.

CIA spokesperson Kali J. Caldwell has so far declined to comment on “the authenticity or content of purported stolen intelligence documents.”

Since 2009, the US has carried out numerous targeted killings in Pakistan, Afghanistan and certain other countries, using unmanned aerial vehicles.

The drone strikes in Afghanistan are highly controversial as they have claimed many civilian lives so far.