Obama says U.S. is at ‘crossroads’ in terror fight, outlines news steps on drones, Guantanamo Bay

Watch: President Obama is heckled about Guantanamo Bay during his speech at National Defense University

WASHINGTON – Declaring America at a “crossroads” in the fight against terrorism, President Barack Obama on Thursday revealed clearer guidelines for the use of deadly drone strikes, including more control by the U.S. military, while leaving key details of the controversial program secret.

He said the administration has briefed the appropriate congressional committees about all drone strikes outside of Iraq and Afghanistan, such as in Yemen.

He says the briefings included the one instance in which an American citizen was the target: Anwar al-Awlaki. Officials say al-Awlaki was a leader in a branch of al-Qaida that operated in the Arabian peninsula, and that he had ties to at least three attacks planned or carried out on U.S. soil.

Obama spoke a day after the administration disclosed the deaths of three other Americans abroad in drone strikes.

Obama says he authorized the release of the information to encourage debate on the issue.

READ MORE: Obama administration acknowledges 4 American citizens killed in drone strikes since 2009

The president also announced a renewed push to close the Guantanamo Bay detention centre in Cuba, including lifting a moratorium on prisoner transfers to Yemen. However, shutting the prison will still require help from Republicans reluctant to back Obama’s call to move some detainees to U.S. prisons and try them in civilian courts.

Obama framed his address as an attempt to redefine the nature and scope of terror threats facing the U.S., noting the weakening of al-Qaida and the impending end of the U.S. war in Afghanistan.

READ MORE: American killed in US drone strike arrested 3 years ago in Pakistan

“Neither I, nor any president, can promise the total defeat of terror,” Obama said in remarks at the National Defence University. “What we can do – what we must do – is dismantle networks that pose a direct danger, and make it less likely for new groups to gain a foothold, all while maintaining the freedoms and ideals that we defend.”