Trump Relaxes Rules on Strikes, Raids Aimed at Suspected Terrorists

Commanders Get More Room to Decide Whether to Attack Outside Conventional War Zones

- Charlie Savage and Eric Schmitt

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump has rescinded Biden-era limits on counter-terrorism drone strikes and commando raids outside conventional war zones, reverting to the looser set of rules he used in his first term, according to officials familiar with the matter.

Under restrictions imposed by the Biden administration, US military and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) drone operators generally had to obtain permission from the White House to target a suspected militant outside a conventional war zone.

Now, commanders in the field will again have greater latitude to decide for themselves whether to carry out a strike.

The relaxation of the rules suggests that the United States is likely to more frequently carry out air strikes aimed at killing terrorism suspects in poorly governed places that are not deemed traditional battlefield zones, like Somalia and Yemen. It also means there may be greater risk to civilians.

The Trump administration did not formally announce the change, elements of which were reported earlier by CBS News.

The report also said Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had signed a directive, apparently implementing the change for the US military's Africa Command, in a meeting in February.