Targeted killing

Modern targeted killings are frequently performed using drones like the MQ-9 Reaper, named after the grim reaper.

Targeted killing is a form of assassination. Assassination are often called targeted killing when governments do them, particularly if they are done by the United States or their allies. They are a type of execution that is done without a trial, sometimes on a battlefield,^[1][2][3][4] and sometimes in their family homes.

Most people in the Western world think it's illegal for governments to assassinate people. Some people who lead militaries or study them^[5] describe targeted killing as legitimate within the context of "self-defense", when employed against people they classify as "terrorists" or people from armed groups that are smaller or less well armed than the government's own military but are still winning. The governments say that unmanned combat aerial vehicles (drones) are more humane and more accurate than human assassins doing it in person.^[6][7]

People who study war disagree with each other about whether killing people like this works to stop terrorism.^{[8][9][10][11][12][13]}

Assassinations by the United States

• 
  Operation Condor participants.

    active members

    collaborators
• 
  The CIA recruited Sam Giancana (pictured), Santo Trafficante and other mobsters to assassinate Fidel Castro.^[14]
• 
  Graph of average casualties in drone strikes ordered by the United States in Yemen, 2002–2017.^[15]
• 
  John O. Brennan, bosused to be the s of the Central Intelligence Agency and the boss of the team who gave President Barack Obama advice about how to stop terrorism.
• 
  Minneapolis anti-war protest: 'Stop Killer Drones', 5 May 2013.

Assassinations by governments in Asia

Use by Iranian government

Mohammad-Reza Kolahi was assassinated in the Netherlands in 2015

Main articles: List of Iranian assassinations and Chain murders of Iran

Use by Saudi Arabia

See the main article: Tiger Squad

Use by Israel

See the main article: Israeli targeted killings

Memorial to the assassinated Iranian scientists

Funeral of Iranian Major General Hassan Shateri, who was assassinated in Syria in February 2013

Use by North Korean government

See the main article: Assassination of Kim Jong-nam

References

1. Greenwald, Glenn (24 October 2012). "Obama moves to make the War on Terror permanent | Glenn Greenwald". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
2. Pollack, Kenneth M. (7 March 2018). "Learning From Israel's Political Assassination Program". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
3. Mann, James (14 June 2012). The Obamians: The Struggle Inside the White House to Redefine American Power. Penguin. p. 410. ISBN 9781101583616.
4. Lynn, John A. (23 July 2019). Another Kind of War: The Nature and History of Terrorism. Yale University Press. p. 410. ISBN 9780300188813.
5. "Targeted Killings". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
6. Carroll, Rory (2 August 2012). "The philosopher making the moral case for US drones". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
7. Shane, Scott (14 July 2012). "The Moral Case for Drones". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
8. Press, Stanford University (2019). Leadership Decapitation: Strategic Targeting of Terrorist Organizations | Jenna Jordan. Stanford University Press. ISBN 9781503608245. Retrieved 3 January 2020 – via www.sup.org.
9. Jordan, Jenna (April 2014). "Attacking the Leader, Missing the Mark: Why Terrorist Groups Survive Decapitation Strikes". International Security. 38 (4): 7–38. doi:10.1162/ISEC_a_00157. ISSN 0162-2889.
10. Frankel, M. (2010). "The ABCs of HVT: Key Lessons from High Value Targeting Campaigns Against Insurgents and Terrorists". Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. 34: 17–30. doi:10.1080/1057610x.2011.531456.
11. Jordan, Jenna (2 December 2009). "When Heads Roll: Assessing the Effectiveness of Leadership Decapitation". Security Studies. 18 (4): 719–755. doi:10.1080/09636410903369068. ISSN 0963-6412.
12. Johnston, Patrick B. (1 April 2012). "Does Decapitation Work? Assessing the Effectiveness of Leadership Targeting in Counterinsurgency Campaigns". International Security. 36 (4): 47–79. doi:10.1162/ISEC_a_00076. ISSN 0162-2889.
13. Price, Bryan C. (1 April 2012). "Targeting Top Terrorists: How Leadership Decapitation Contributes to Counterterrorism". International Security. 36 (4): 9–46. doi:10.1162/ISEC_a_00075. ISSN 0162-2889.
14. Snow, Anita (27 June 2007). "CIA Plot to Kill Castro Detailed". The Washington Post. Washington, DC. AP.
15. "US strikes in Yemen, 2002 to present". Google Docs. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2018.