Barack Obama orders creation of new White House interrogation unit

President Barack Obama has ordered the creation of a new White House unit for interrogating terror suspects, taking responsibility away from the CIA.

The High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group will be run by FBI officials and follow guidelines set by the US army's field manual, which conforms to international law.

The Democratic president has already outlawed severe methods such as waterboarding, which simulates drowning, but now other techniques such as such as subjecting prisoners to loud music for long periods and sleep deprivation will also be a thing of the past.

It came as the US Justice Department called for a special prosecutor to investigate up to a dozen cases of alleged abuse by CIA officers or contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan that went beyond limits set by the Bush administration. More

[This High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group is overseen by the NSC, where former CIA rendition torture planner John Brennan now serves as deputy National Security Adviser.]

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