Mark Mazzetti, author of the forthcoming The Way of the Knife: The CIA, a Secret Army, and a War at the Ends of the Earth, has a long NYT story on the origins of the drone program. Micah Zenko focuses on what the story says about the CIA’s decision to stop capturing terror suspects.
Relatedly, new reporting on how the drone program has “targeted and killed hundreds of suspected lower-level Afghan, Pakistani and unidentified ‘other’ militants,” in addition to al Qaeda leaders.
Buddhist monks incite religious violence targeting Myanmar’s Muslims. “‘We don’t want to attack you,’ one monk shouted at the police… ‘We just want the Muslims.'”
The bad options for securing Syria’s chemical weapons (via Josh Rogin).
Internal struggles within the North Korean military over Kim Jong-un’s succession.
Human Rights Watch has released its new report on the regime air attacks on civilians in Syria.
After raiding a prison and executing inmates, Indonesia may be ready to clean up a notorious Special Forces unit.