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WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he is ok with torturing terrorists in order to "fight fire with fire."
"When ISIS is doing things that nobody has ever heard of since medieval times, would I feel strongly about waterboarding? As far as I am concerned we have to fight fire with fire," Trump said during an interview with U.S. TV network ABC.
Trump said he has recently met the senior intelligence officials who told him that torture "absolutely" works.
The ultimate decision whether to implement torture for suspected terrorists will be up to newly-appointed Defense Secretary James Mattis and Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo, Trump said.
"If they don't want to, that's fine. If they do want to, then I'll work for that end," Trump said.
Mattis has said previously that he did not believe torture would work.
Following the war on terrorism launched by former U.S. President George W. Bush, U.S. intelligence agencies have set up under-the-radar jails for people suspected of terrorism.
Reports emerged that inmates in these black jails have been subject to torture including waterboarding, sleep deprivation and physical abuse.
The practice strained the relationship between the United States and Middle Eastern countries and tarnished the country's image in the world.
Barack Obama signed an executive order soon after taking office in January 2009 to close such secret prisons and end torture of terror suspects.
Eight years later most mainstream politicians in Washington lost their appetite for such gruesome punishments.
U.S. media have quoted sources within the U.S. government as saying that Trump may soon sign an executive order to review whether torture should be brought back.
"The President can sign whatever executive orders he likes. But the law is the law. We are not bringing back torture in the United States of America," Republican Senator John McCain, a hawkish figure in Congress, said in a statement.
