Of Predator Drones and Due Process...  « Previous story Next
story » Of Predator Drones and Due Process...  Was the attack
that killed Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan justified under US
and International Law?  Just to give a basic framework of the
discussion, the Palm Beach Post lays it out rather nicely:  The
killing of the U.S.-born Al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki on
Friday along with another U.S. citizen and two other Al-Qaeda
operatives in Yemen is likely to fuel the international
controversy over the legality and wisdom of the Obama
administration's dramatically increased use of drone attacks.
For several years, U.S. allies have made no public comment, even
as U.S. drone strikes have killed twice as many suspected Al-
Qaeda and Taliban members than were ever imprisoned in
Guantanamo Bay. But that acquiescence may change, as human
rights groups and the media debate the legality and collateral
damage of drone attacks. The U.S. drone program has been highly
effective in killing senior Al-Qaeda leaders, but t