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

See all articles by Jake Rylatt

Jake Rylatt

University of Cambridge - Lauterpacht Centre for International Law

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

Suggested Citation

Rylatt, Jake, An Evaluation of the US Policy of 'Targeted Killing' Under International Law: The Case of Anwar Al-Aulaqi (Part II) (June 18, 2014). California Western International Law Journal, Vol. 44, No. 2, 2014, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2555018

Jake Rylatt (Contact Author)

University of Cambridge - Lauterpacht Centre for International Law ( email )

Lauterpacht Centre for International Law
5 Cranmer Centre
Cambridge, CB3 9BL
United Kingdom

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