US legal argument for drone strikes revealed
- 11 years ago
The US government's internal guidelines for targeted killings of al-Qaeda suspects allow for such strikes against US citizens abroad, as long as they are believed to be senior leaders of the group and still engaged in operations, a leaked justice department memo shows.
The 16-page document, released by the US-based NBC news television service on Tuesday, provides a legal rationale behind the US administration's use of drone strikes against al-Qaeda suspects.
The memo says that it is lawful for the US to target al-Qaeda-linked US citizens if they pose an "imminent" threat of violent attack against other US citizens, and that delaying action against such people would create an unacceptably high risk.
Al Jazeera speaks to Pardiss Kebriaeu, a senior lawyer with the Centre for Constitutional Rights in New York.
The 16-page document, released by the US-based NBC news television service on Tuesday, provides a legal rationale behind the US administration's use of drone strikes against al-Qaeda suspects.
The memo says that it is lawful for the US to target al-Qaeda-linked US citizens if they pose an "imminent" threat of violent attack against other US citizens, and that delaying action against such people would create an unacceptably high risk.
Al Jazeera speaks to Pardiss Kebriaeu, a senior lawyer with the Centre for Constitutional Rights in New York.