Drone attacks in Pakistan

The pullout of American forces from Afghanistan by 2014 has some feeling hopeful about the future of the war-torn country. But with the ongoing drone strikes in Pakistan, and continued violence in Afghanistan, it’s often hard to see the progress over the border.

In a Google Hangout President Barack Obama hosted on Monday with eight Americans, the president mounted a spirited defense — and consequently admission — of the U.S. program to use drone aircraft to attack terrorist leaders.

The CIA drone program operates in countries where the US is not officially at war, like Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. But there’s little discussion over how drones affect the people they don’t kill.

A leaked Justice Department memo is the talk of the town in Washington, and around the globe, Tuesday. The memo, obtained and published by NBC News, sets out the Obama Administration’s legal case for the targeted killing of American terrorism suspects.

The popular Pakistani politician, and former world-class cricketer, Imran Khan, has criticized the attempted killing of Malala Yousufzai. But he won’t pin the blame on the Taliban, and says the insurgency in Afghanistan is justified under Islamic law.