Extrajudicial Execution of Samir Khan Arguably More Significant Than Awlaki

[EFerrari]

Posted on September 30, 2011 by bmaz

By this time in the day, the early morning report of the killing of Anwar Awlaki is old news. From ABC News:

Senior administration officials say that the U.S. has been targeting Awlaki for months, though in recent weeks officials were able to pin down his location.

“They were waiting for the right opportunity to get him away from any civilians,” a senior administration official tells ABC News.

And today they got him. Awlaki was killed by a drone delivered Hellfire missile, via a joint CIA and JSOC operation, in the town of Kashef, in Yemen’s Jawf province, approximately 140 kilometres east of Sanaa, Yemen’s capital. But not only Awlaki was killed, at least three others, including yet another American citizen, Samir Khan, were killed in the strike.

That’s right, not just one, but two, Americans were summarily and extrajudicially executed by their own government today, at the direct order of the President of the United States. No trial, no verdict, just off with their heads. Heck, there were not even charges filed against either Awlaki or Khan. And it is not that the government did not try either, there was a grand jury convened on Khan, but no charges. Awlaki too was investigated for charges at least twice by the DOJ, but non were found.

But at least Awlaki was on Barrack Obama’s “Americans That Are Cool to Kill List”. Not so with Samir Khan. Not only is there no evidence whatsoever Khan is on the classified list for killing (actually two different lists) my survey of people knowledgeable in the field today revealed not one who believed khan was on any such list, either by DOD or CIA.

http://www.emptywheel.net/2011/09/30/extrajudicial-execution-of-samir-khan-arguably-more-significant-than-awlaki/

[Octafish]

1. Odd how that works.

A government too incompetent to stop bin Laden determined to strike in the USA has got to take it out on someone.

[EFerrari]

2. I have this hunch that Cofer Black was so enthusiastic about torture

because he blew 9/11 royally. It's a kind of displacement, maybe.

[Octafish]

3. You got that right. Cofer's where all the connected dots lead to.

That means he's obviously innocent. Remember how hard Zelikow worked to make the 9-11 commission find fault with the company, rather than with the White House, where it belonged belongs.

[nichomachus]

4. Even Henry VIII had to go through a sham judidical process before he had someone killed

[malaise]

5. Indeed

The madness continues

[AngkorWot]

7. I guess if you don't count all the wars he was in.

[Octafish]

6. DU brought this up at the time. Weird how so many today weren't there.

It's been two computers, meaning: I can't figure out the Old DU Archives anymore from 2001 and 2002. Found this from 5 years ago:

Bush KILLED a U.S. Citizen without Trial or Due Process. Like the NAZIs.

One things for sure, Izitta, it's still gratifying to know so many still give a damn!

[msanthrope]

8. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that I [am] Al Qaeda to the core."

Well, on September 18, 2001, we passed a law that allows us to kill members of Al-Qaeda.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to appreciate the irony of Mr. Kahn dying by, effectively, a rocket.


Interesting article about how he finally left mommy's basement to join al-Awlaki in Yemen, and how he aided Al-Q.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/american-jihadi-samir-khan-killed-awlaki/story?id=14640013&page=2

[chill_wind]

10. Yeah, who wrote that exactly? Or was that

a cut and paste from the CIA saving ABCnewsblotter a lot of work?

[msanthrope]

13. The deceased wrote that. He was the editor of Al-Qaeda's online mag.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/samir-khan-al-qaedas-sarcastic-american-mouthpiece/story?id=12211748

There's an interview with him, here...

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130439697

[chill_wind]

14. Thanks. I was looking for byline for the whole blotter piece

itself. I don't see one. Who specifically wrote it. Just curious.

[bananas]

9. "Two Americans were summarily and extrajudicially executed by their own government today"

[FiveGoodMen]

12. That picture summarizes virtually all of the discussions on DU for the last two years.

[The Magistrate]

11. Man HasTo Take Care Choosing His Company, Ma'am

'Twas an evening in October, I'll confess I wasn't sober,
I was carting home a load with manly pride,
When my feet began to stutter and I fell into the gutter,
And a pig came up and lay down by my side.
Then I lay there in the gutter and my heart was all a-flutter,
Till a lady, passing by, did chance to say:
"You can tell a man that boozes by the company he chooses,"
Then the pig got up and slowly walked away.'

[bananas]

15. Guilt by association - a huge step backwards.

I'm surprised you're making this discredited argument.
Next you'll be advocating the phlogiston theory.

[The Magistrate]

16. Not Even That, Sir: Just Standing Beside A Bull's-Eye

A bad idea....