The Case To Kill An American Terrorist

Just last week, I put up this post about how I was recommending that the U.S. take out the American islamic cleric in Yemen who has distinct ties to al Qaeda and was involved in mentoring the Fort Hood jihadist and is rumored to have been involved with the Christmas Day terrorist on Flight 253 - not to mention his role via the internet in helping recruit terrorists right here in America. Yes, I called for the assassination of Anwar al Awlaki.

This is what I wrote in my post:

It's my opinion, that these figure heads, these magnets for jihadists and jihadist wannabes, need to be identified, targeted, located and exterminated.

So today, this story here at ABC News comes out about how the U.S. has missed opportunities to take out al Awlaki due to the confusion here on the legalities of killing an American, even if he is a confirmed terrorist.

From the article:

White House lawyers are mulling the legality of proposed attempts to kill an American citizen, Anwar al Awlaki, who is believed to be part of the leadership of the al Qaeda group in Yemen behind a series of terror strikes, according to two people briefed by U.S. intelligence officials.

One of the people briefed said opportunities to "take out" Awlaki "may have been missed" because of the legal questions surrounding a lethal attack which would specifically target an American citizen.
A spokesperson said the White House declined to comment.

So, let me get this straight. The American government, the American military and/or the CIA cannot target al Qaeda operative Adam Gadahn? Adam Gadahn has actively worked for al Qaeda for years as an American citizen and has the blood of Americans and other foreigners on his hands yet this article points out that there are too many questions about the legality of targeting an American. Now, the article points to an American al Qaeda member killed in Pakistan by a drone attack but that was written off as a collateral death and that he wasn't targeted.

Well, my article from last week was meant to bring this to a head. If an American decides to leave this country OR stays inside this country and participates in jihad, in terror...then that person needs to be targeted and if apprehension is not possible, then he needs to be killed. Simple as that. Do people actually have to be reminded that we are in a war here? Is our government actually telling us that if an American al Qaeda member is sitting in a hut in Afghanistan after he helped in the killing of 5 American soldiers and 20 innocent civilians and we won't drop a JDAM on his sorry ass?

I'm sorry, but it is my opinion that when you enlist in al Qaeda, when you help al Qaeda, when you participate in the recruiting of al Qaeda members, or if you are helping in the communications of al Qaeda propaganda, your rights to a fair trial went out the door. You are an enemy of the United States of America and a combatant against the safety of this Republic and thus you are a target for assassination.

I suppose some ACLU blockheads are exploding at this moment. Screw 'em.

U.S. Mulls Legality of Killing American al Qaeda "Turncoat"


White House lawyers are mulling the legality of proposed attempts to kill an American citizen, Anwar al Awlaki, who is believed to be part of the leadership of the al Qaeda group in Yemen behind a series of terror strikes, according to two people briefed by U.S. intelligence officials.

One of the people briefed said opportunities to "take out" Awlaki "may have been missed" because of the legal questions surrounding a lethal attack which would specifically target an American citizen.

A spokesperson said the White House declined to comment.

While Awlaki has not been charged with any crimes under U.S. law, intelligence officials say recent intelligence reports and electronic intercepts show he played an important role in recruiting the accused "underwear bomber" Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. Awlaki also carried on extensive e-mail communication with the accused Fort Hood shooter, Major Nidal Hasan, prior to the attack that killed 12 soldiers and one civilian.

According to the people who were briefed on the issue, American officials fear the possibility of criminal prosecution without approval in advance from the White House for a targeted strike against Awlaki.

An American citizen with suspected al Qaeda ties was killed in Nov. 2002 in Yemen in a CIA predator strike that was aimed at non-American leaders of al Qaeda. The death of the American citizen, Ahmed Hijazi of Lackawanna, NY, was justified as "collateral damage" at the time because he "was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," said a former U.S. official familiar with the case.

In the case of Awlaki, born in New Mexico and a college student in Colorado and California, a strike aimed to kill him would stretch current Presidential authority given to the CIA and the Pentagon to pursue terrorists anywhere in the world.