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This has happened before, and it was unprecedented when the US citizen [1] was assassinated by the US President with explicit targeting (putting the name on a '

This has happened before, and it was unprecedented when the US citizen [1] was assassinated by the US President with explicit targeting (putting the name on a 'kill list'). As I understand, Awlaki was an Al Qaeda member, mostly concerned himself with writing for 'Inspire' and giving YouTube lectures. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anwar_al-Awlaki#Death https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anwar_al-Awlaki#Death > he became the first United States citizen to be assassinated by a U.S. drone strike without the rights of due process being afforded.[15][16] President Barack Obama ordered the strike.[17] His son, Abdulrahman al-Awlaki (a 16-year-old U.S. citizen), was killed in a U.S. drone strike two weeks later.[18] On January 29, 2017, al-Awlaki's 8-year-old daughter, Nawar Al-Awlaki, was killed in a U.S. commando attack in Yemen which was ordered by President Donald Trump.[19][20][21][22] [1] Please note: I am not justifying Awlaki's work. He was an Al Qaeda member. But also a natural born American citizen.

nerdponx 8y ago
Since he was a US citizen, was he entitled to some kind of due process, maybe via extradition? Edit: it was in the OP article. There was some outcry about the president now having authority to kill even Americans without due process – “I think it’s sad,” said U.S. Congressman Ron Paul – but the uproar soon faded, and America’s assassination program accelerated still more. By late 2011, we’d killed more than 2,000 “militants.”
- danesparza 8y ago
  I think the idea is that as long as you can make the case for classifying them as an 'enemy combatant in an active war zone' it doesn't matter that they were a US citizen. I'm not saying I agree with this -- I'm just trying to respond to your question.
  - imron 8y ago
    > as long as you can make the case for classifying them as an 'enemy combatant in an active war zone Under the Obama administration, they decided to count all military-age males in a strike zone as enemy combatants, unless there was explicit intelligence posthumously proving them innocent [0]. Was a bomb dropped on a wedding to kill a terrorist? Well, all the other men aged 18-50 at the wedding are also classed as enemy combatants too, meaning 'no innocent civilians' were killed. Way to go Mr. Nobel Peace Prize winner. 0: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/05/under-obama-men-killed-by-drones-are-presumed-to-be-terrorists/257749/ https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/05/under-o...
    - danesparza 8y ago
      Good lord. I wasn't aware of that one. Thanks for the link.
      - imron 8y ago
        Yeah, not exactly his finest hour.
deleted 8y ago
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megous 8y ago
This guy is not openly anti U.S. though. So it's not really comparable. He just grown an outward facing (meaning outside of Syria, english language) news/commentary website/following on twitter/youtube from northwest of Syria. He interviews various people, including members of various militias (leaders and non-leaders), civilians, etc. I think he also interviewed some ex-shabaab (Somalia) disillusioned members. He doesn't seem radical. OGN is mildly interesting, as in it shows what some people deal with in the region, how militia leaders present themselves to the outside world, etc. But most of the news content can be obtained from elsewhere too. It was more unique when he was in besieged Eastern Aleppo. Bombing this guy would be like bombing The Young Turks, or whatever. It's ridiculous. He's not even in a war zone. He's in Idlib de-escalation zone.

nerdponx 8y ago

Since he was a US citizen, was he entitled to some kind of due process, maybe via extradition? Edit: it was in the OP article. There was some outcry about the president now having authority to kill even Americans without due process – “I think it’s sad,” said U.S. Congressman Ron Paul – but the uproar soon faded, and America’s assassination program accelerated still more. By late 2011, we’d killed more than 2,000 “militants.”

danesparza 8y ago
I think the idea is that as long as you can make the case for classifying them as an 'enemy combatant in an active war zone' it doesn't matter that they were a US citizen. I'm not saying I agree with this -- I'm just trying to respond to your question.
- imron 8y ago
  > as long as you can make the case for classifying them as an 'enemy combatant in an active war zone Under the Obama administration, they decided to count all military-age males in a strike zone as enemy combatants, unless there was explicit intelligence posthumously proving them innocent [0]. Was a bomb dropped on a wedding to kill a terrorist? Well, all the other men aged 18-50 at the wedding are also classed as enemy combatants too, meaning 'no innocent civilians' were killed. Way to go Mr. Nobel Peace Prize winner. 0: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/05/under-obama-men-killed-by-drones-are-presumed-to-be-terrorists/257749/ https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/05/under-o...
  - danesparza 8y ago
    Good lord. I wasn't aware of that one. Thanks for the link.
    - imron 8y ago
      Yeah, not exactly his finest hour.

deleted 8y ago

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megous 8y ago

This guy is not openly anti U.S. though. So it's not really comparable. He just grown an outward facing (meaning outside of Syria, english language) news/commentary website/following on twitter/youtube from northwest of Syria. He interviews various people, including members of various militias (leaders and non-leaders), civilians, etc. I think he also interviewed some ex-shabaab (Somalia) disillusioned members. He doesn't seem radical. OGN is mildly interesting, as in it shows what some people deal with in the region, how militia leaders present themselves to the outside world, etc. But most of the news content can be obtained from elsewhere too. It was more unique when he was in besieged Eastern Aleppo. Bombing this guy would be like bombing The Young Turks, or whatever. It's ridiculous. He's not even in a war zone. He's in Idlib de-escalation zone.