NSA defends 'snoop-ops' despite having gone too far

The US lawmakers have reportedly said that the alleged secret surveillance programmes run by the National Security Agency (NSA) may have gone too far, however, the agency officials are quick to defend the 'snoop-ops' are crucial to the nation's security.

NSA director Gen. Keith Alexander defended spying on foreign allies and said that they were necessary and such scrutiny of America's friends is commonplace.

Another top official explained that the alleged snooping on phone records that prompted outrage across the Atlantic was conducted with the help of European governments, Fox News reports.

The growing controversy about the alleged programmes follows shocking revelations by whistleblower Edward Snowden, who leaked highly classified data about the alleged secret spying conducted on citizens and world leader by the NSA.

Alexander said that the US was given data by NATO partners, often collected from elsewhere around the world, as part of a program to protect military interests.

While the NSA maintains that the programmes are crucial to fight terrorism, Congressional leaders who earlier supported the programmes are now willing for a close examination of them.

President Barack Obama has assured that the US is conducting complete review of how the nation's intelligence operates outside the country, amid allegations that the US intelligence snooped on phone conversations of German chancellor Angela Merkel among 35 other world leaders, the report added.