US should not rule out torture: Ridge
The outgoing head of the US Department of Homeland Security has said torture may be used in certain cases in order to prevent a major loss of life.
Speaking to the BBC, Tom Ridge said the US did not condone the use of torture to extract information from terrorists.
But he said that under an "extreme set" of hypothetical circumstances, such as a nuclear threat, "it could happen".
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. A spokesman for Ridge said his comments were taken out of context and did not amount to approval of torture.
Ridge's remarks come a day after the US was accused of eroding human rights by campaigners.
A report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticised the US over the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal in Iraq and the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
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