The FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email setup includes messages sent on a less-secure government network that discussed specific CIA drone strikes in Pakistan.
According to
The Wall Street Journal, many of the 22 emails the State Department refuses to release out of national security concerns deal with the strikes.
Under an agreement between the CIA and the State Department, the agency gave notice to U.S. diplomats before they carried out a strike on an enemy target.
These messages found their way from the field in Pakistan to the U.S. ambassador there, and eventually Clinton's aides in Washington. On several occasions, the messages were forwarded to Clinton.
The Journal reports that the emails were sent on what's known as the "low side," a less-secure government network meant for unclassified material.
None of the messages contain "CIA," "drones," or specific information about each strike, sources told the Journal. But enough information was apparently there for all parties involved to make a decision on whether to go ahead with the proposed strike.
The emails in question date back to 2011 and 2012.
Officials told the Journal no evidence exists to suggest that intelligence officials in Pakistan were able to intercept the messages.
The CIA's drone strike program in Pakistan is not widely reported on in the U.S. because officials have deemed it secret. But in Pakistan, it's publicly known that American drones have killed militants and innocent civilians.
"There's no doubt that civilians were killed that shouldn't have been," President Barack
Obama admitted in April.
The results of a
study released in May suggested Pakistanis support the CIA's drone strike program and are not inspired to seek revenge because of collateral damage.
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