Report: Leaked documents reveal expensive drone program

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Leaked classified government documents reveal the U.S. military's heavy reliance on predator drones may be a costly threat to civilians and cause other problems.

The documents were released by The Intercept, and challenge President Obama's statements on the progress of counter-terrorism maneuvers and other military operations around the world. The publication comes as the Obama Administration announced 5,500 U.S. troops would remain in Afghanistan until 2017 as threats to Afghan Security Forces persist.

The documents, which cover drone strike operations from 2011 to 2013, highlight that a number of people killed in drone strikes were not targets, but were recorded as EKIA, or "enemies killed in action." Other problems identified include limited intelligence resources for tracking down suspected terrorists in Yemen and Somalia.

Despite the setbacks, The Intercept notes how drone warfare has become a staple of U.S. military operations.

"They have become so addicted to this machine, to this way of doing business, that it seems like it's going to become harder and harder to pull them away from it the longer they're allowed to continue operating in this way," the source who leaked the documents told The Intercept.

According to The Hill, the implications of the documents run contrary to the Obama Administration's claims that drone strikes are a second option when capturing a suspected terrorist is possible.

"America does not take strikes when we have the ability to capture individual terrorists; our preference is always to detain, interrogate, and prosecute. America cannot take strikes wherever we choose; our actions are bound by consultations with partners, and respect for state sovereignty," Obama said in a speech at the National Defense University in 2013.