An Evaluation of the US Policy of 'Targeted Killing' Under International Law: The Case of Anwar Al-Aulaqi (Part II)
33 Pages Posted: 26 Jan 2015
Date Written: June 18, 2014
Abstract
During the past decade, the U.S. policy of conducting extraterritorial "Targeted Killings" against individuals linked with terrorist activities has been met with skepticism and scrutiny. However, while the strikes have followed transnational terrorists targeted by the United States into sovereign States such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, the United States has consistently denied any illegality, with reference to the "war against Al-Qaeda," and their right to self-defense in the wake of 9/11. This article evaluates the U.S. legal justifications for drone strikes with reference to the highly controversial case of Anwar Al-Aulaqi, a U.S.-Yemeni citizen killed by a Predator drone on September 30, 2011, following his identification by the United States as a senior operational leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
Keywords: Targeted Killing, US Drone Policy, International Law, International Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian Law
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