White House sets up interrogation unit

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has moved forcefully to abandon Bush administration terrorism-era interrogation policies, approving creation of a special White House unit for questioning suspects as Attorney-General Eric Holder weighs an internal Justice Department call to reopen and pursue a host of prisoner abuse cases.

A senior administration official said yesterday that Obama has approved establishment of the new unit, to be known as the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group, which will be overseen by the Naitonal Security Council. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the program has not yet been officially announced.

A US intelligence official said yesterday that the CIA welcomes the change, saying the agency does not want to be in the long-term detention business. The official spoke on grounds of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss it publicly.