The first combat death for the new US Government came in an engagement which killed an 8-year old girl.
Obama's government assassinated the father & his 16-yr old son. Both were U.S. citizens targeted without trial. Trump's first combat mission (on his 10th day as President) now kills the daughter.
We wholly condemn extrajudicial targeted killings (link). Neither should American forces suffer tragic death. President Trump has vowed to withdraw American troops from many overseas trouble-spots, leaving local forces to protect & police themselves. "We cannot be the Policeman of the World" said candidate Trump (link)
But assassination is not an acceptable substitute policy, and all the more terrible when it targets family members.
President Trump declared we must kill the families of America's enemies, but surely that's illegal under international law, and shortsighted policy (we should hope to avoid reciprocal targeting of American leaders' families).
The US Government already has a bad history:
1986 US bombs kill Libyan leader Gaddafi's infant daughter
2003 American forces target & kill Saddam Hussein's two sons & 14-yr old grandson
2011 US / NATO bombs kill Gaddafi's son & grandkids, 5-mo & 2-yr old twins (30 April)
2011 US drone attack kills Anwar al-Awlaki, dissident American Muslim cleric (30 Sept)
2011 US drone attack kills Anwar al-Awlaki's son, US teenager Abdulrahman (14 Oct)
2017 American SEAL Team 6 kills Anwar's 8-yr old daughter, Nora Al-Awlaki (29 Jan)
Obama's government assassinated the father & his 16-yr old son. Both were U.S. citizens targeted without trial. Trump's first combat mission (on his 10th day as President) now kills the daughter.
We wholly condemn extrajudicial targeted killings (link). Neither should American forces suffer tragic death. President Trump has vowed to withdraw American troops from many overseas trouble-spots, leaving local forces to protect & police themselves. "We cannot be the Policeman of the World" said candidate Trump (link)
But assassination is not an acceptable substitute policy, and all the more terrible when it targets family members.
President Trump declared we must kill the families of America's enemies, but surely that's illegal under international law, and shortsighted policy (we should hope to avoid reciprocal targeting of American leaders' families).
The US Government already has a bad history:
1986 US bombs kill Libyan leader Gaddafi's infant daughter
2003 American forces target & kill Saddam Hussein's two sons & 14-yr old grandson
2011 US / NATO bombs kill Gaddafi's son & grandkids, 5-mo & 2-yr old twins (30 April)
2011 US drone attack kills Anwar al-Awlaki, dissident American Muslim cleric (30 Sept)
2011 US drone attack kills Anwar al-Awlaki's son, US teenager Abdulrahman (14 Oct)
2017 American SEAL Team 6 kills Anwar's 8-yr old daughter, Nora Al-Awlaki (29 Jan)
