NSA 'phone snoop-op' helped CIA track militant targets for drone strikes in Pak

The US led NSA's 'phone signal tracking' program has reportedly helped Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) locate militant targets for drone attacksin Pakistan.

The CIA said that the foreign signals that NSA collects are invaluable to national security and the information helps the agency determine where adversaries are located, what they're planning, when they're planning to carry it out, with whom they're working, and the kinds of weapons they're using, The Express Tribune reports.

According to the report, the current and former counterterrorism officials and experts believe that NSA has become the single most important intelligence agency in finding al Qaeda and other enemy overseas after the 9/11 attacks.

The NSA used to track drone targets by snooping on telephonic conversations but later was also asked to track locations using the phone signals.

General Counsel for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Robert S. Litt said that the recent intelligence leaks threaten to cause long-lasting and irreversible harm to their ability to identify and respond to the many threats facing the nation, the report added.