WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House has released a version of President Barack Obama’s 3-year-old guidance on the use of lethal force against terrorists overseas.
It lays out what it says are safeguards to minimize civilian deaths and errant strikes while preserving the capability to take quick action with drone attacks and other means.
The “presidential policy guidance” stipulates that the U.S., when operating outside areas of active hostilities, will only take direct action when there is “near certainty” that the terrorist target is present and that noncombatants won’t be killed or injured.
The principles, released with redactions, provide more detail on the conditions for drone strikes and other direct action than the White House revealed earlier when it summarized the document in a fact sheet in 2013.
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will only take direct action when there is “near certainty” that the terrorist target is present and that noncombatants won’t be killed or injured.
Oh my god, only “near” certainty. How reckless!
Oh yeah, just remembered. Trump thinks we should outright kill the terrorists families
Can’t wait for my he lamestream media to pick up on it.
This “new guidance” is precipitated no doubt by the recent drone attacks in Somalia. The attacks killed 150 people that the U.S. declared were “Somali militants” but no evidence was ever presented to support the claim. The U.S. is not at war with Somalia and no use of force there has been authorized by Congress.
Obama the Nobel Peace Prize recipient seems to believe that he has the right to kill whomever he pleases wherever he pleases. Simply declaring that they were “terrorists” is the only justification he believes is necessary. His targets have included U.S. citizens supposedly protected by Constitutional rights.
Obama the Constitutional law professor claims that there are two types of “process” of law under the Constitution—“due process” and “judicial process.” American citizens like Anwar al-Awlaki did not need to have evidence presented in a court and a warrant issued, because that’s “due process” and Obama determined (by some secret means) that al-Awlaki was such a threat to America that he only required “judicial process” and therefore could be assassinated.
I don’t think much of these “guidance” for use-of-force releases by the White House. They are not about procedure to prevent overreach but instead are public relations documents meant to give these atrocities a veneer of legitimacy.
Thanks for that Joseph55. Couldn’t have said it better myself. But I’m still angry by the decade long yawn of the Democratic Party as it relates to the indiscriminate killing of the poorest of the poor in six (seven?) sovereign nations. All of which by the way happen to be Muslim. We’re responsible these past fifty years for more terrorism than the rest of the industrial world combined. But the AUMF says it’s all legal, which draws to the obvious conclusion that it’s Americans as the victims. Nicely done Mr. President.
I guess you didn’t realize that, unlike Nazi Germany, we are not at war with Somalia. I even took the time to point that out in my comment, even though I thought it was obvious.
Alwaki refused his due process dopey. And he was advocating violence against the US, including communications with some people who killed people here. Tough shit on him.
Everyone does not get to go to court. If you are in JFK aiming a gun at people, the FBI does not have to arrest you and bring you to court. The right move is to shoot that person and stop the threat. “Due process” was a direct threat being “evaluated”.
So due process is indeed a relative term. And it should not be abused for sure. In Alwaki’s case it was NOT abused. In fact, even the Yemeni’s were trying to get him because he was a POS who not only advocated violence, but directly communicated and incited people who did. And he was in a remote area where he could not be apprehended. So, he got blown away. Tough shit on him.