"White House spokesman Tommy Vietor declined to discuss anything about the process." ------------------------------------------
Atta boy! On Oct 12, 8:39 am, Coach <[email protected]> wrote: > I know you and I have had disagreements before plain ol, but on this > one I am in total agreement. This is a war, and enemies who plan > operations to harm on our citizens are deserving targets for > assassination. Who's next? > > On Oct 11, 2:35 pm, plainolamerican <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > American traitors like al-Awlaki should be killed asap by any means > > necessary > > > On Oct 11, 4:52 am, excalliber stevens > > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Secret panel can put Americans on "kill list' > > > By Mark Hosenball > > > WASHINGTON | Wed Oct 5, 2011 7:59pm EDT > > > (Reuters) - American militants like Anwar al-Awlaki are placed on a > > > kill or capture list by a secretive panel of senior government > > > officials, which then informs the president of its decisions, > > > according to officials. > > > There is no public record of the operations or decisions of the panel, > > > which is a subset of the White House's National Security Council, > > > several current and former officials said. Neither is there any law > > > establishing its existence or setting out the rules by which it is > > > supposed to operate. > > > The panel was behind the decision to add Awlaki, a U.S.-born militant > > > preacher with alleged al Qaeda connections, to the target list. He was > > > killed by a CIA drone strike in Yemen late last month. > > > The role of the president in ordering or ratifying a decision to > > > target a citizen is fuzzy. White House spokesman Tommy Vietor declined > > > to discuss anything about the process. > > > Current and former officials said that to the best of their knowledge, > > > Awlaki, who the White House said was a key figure in al Qaeda in the > > > Arabian Peninsula, al Qaeda's Yemen-based affiliate, had been the only > > > American put on a government list targeting people for capture or > > > death due to their alleged involvement with militants. > > > The White House is portraying the killing of Awlaki as a demonstration > > > of President Barack Obama's toughness toward militants who threaten > > > the United States. But the process that led to Awlaki's killing has > > > drawn fierce criticism from both the political left and right. > > > In an ironic turn, Obama, who ran for president denouncing predecessor > > > George W. Bush's expansive use of executive power in his "war on > > > terrorism," is being attacked in some quarters for using similar > > > tactics. They include secret legal justifications and undisclosed > > > intelligence assessments. > > > Liberals criticized the drone attack on an American citizen as extra- > > > judicial murder. > > > Conservatives criticized Obama for refusing to release a Justice > > > Department legal opinion that reportedly justified killing Awlaki. > > > They accuse Obama of hypocrisy, noting his administration insisted on > > > publishing Bush-era administration legal memos justifying the use of > > > interrogation techniques many equate with torture, but refused to make > > > public its rationale for killing a citizen without due process. > > > Some details about how the administration went about targeting Awlaki > > > emerged on Tuesday when the top Democrat on the House Intelligence > > > Committee, Representative Dutch Ruppersberger, was asked by reporters > > > about the killing. > > > The process involves "going through the National Security Council, > > > then it eventually goes to the president, but the National Security > > > Council does the investigation, they have lawyers, they review, they > > > look at the situation, you have input from the military, and also, we > > > make sure that we follow international law," Ruppersberger said. > > > LAWYERS CONSULTED > > > Other officials said the role of the president in the process was > > > murkier than what Ruppersberger described. > > > They said targeting recommendations are drawn up by a committee of mid- > > > level National Security Council and agency officials. Their > > > recommendations are then sent to the panel of NSC "principals," > > > meaning Cabinet secretaries and intelligence unit chiefs, for > > > approval. The panel of principals could have different memberships > > > when considering different operational issues, they said. > > > The officials insisted on anonymity to discuss sensitive information. > > > They confirmed that lawyers, including those in the Justice > > > Department, were consulted before Awlaki's name was added to the > > > target list. > > > Two principal legal theories were advanced, an official said: first, > > > that the actions were permitted by Congress when it authorized the use > > > of military forces against militants in the wake of the attacks of > > > September 11, 2001; and they are permitted under international law if > > > a country is defending itself. > > > Several officials said that when Awlaki became the first American put > > > on the target list, Obama was not required personally to approve the > > > targeting of a person. But one official said Obama would be notified > > > of the principals' decision. If he objected, the decision would be > > > nullified, the official said. > > > A former official said one of the reasons for making senior officials > > > principally responsible for nominating Americans for the target list > > > was to "protect" the president. > > > Officials confirmed that a second American, Samir Khan, was killed in > > > the drone attack that killed Awlaki. Khan had served as editor of > > > Inspire, a glossy English-language magazine used by AQAP as a > > > propaganda and recruitment vehicle. > > > But rather than being specifically targeted by drone operators, Khan > > > was in the wrong place at the wrong time, officials said. > > > Ruppersberger appeared to confirm that, saying Khan's death was > > > "collateral," meaning he was not an intentional target of the drone > > > strike. > > > When the name of a foreign, rather than American, militant is added to > > > targeting lists, the decision is made within the intelligence > > > community and normally does not require approval by high-level NSC > > > officials. > > > 'FROM INSPIRATIONAL TO OPERATIONAL' > > > Officials said Awlaki, whose fierce sermons were widely circulated on > > > English-language militant websites, was targeted because Washington > > > accumulated information his role in AQAP had gone "from inspirational > > > to operational." That meant that instead of just propagandizing in > > > favor of al Qaeda objectives, Awlaki allegedly began to participate > > > directly in plots against American targets. > > > "Let me underscore, Awlaki is no mere messenger but someone integrally > > > involved in lethal terrorist activities," Daniel Benjamin, top > > > counterterrorism official at the State Department, warned last spring. > > > The Obama administration has not made public an accounting of the > > > classified evidence that Awlaki was operationally involved in planning > > > terrorist attacks. > > > But officials acknowledged that some of the intelligence purporting to > > > show Awlaki's hands-on role in plotting attacks was patchy. > > > For instance, one plot in which authorities have said Awlaki was > > > involved Nigerian-born Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, accused of trying to > > > blow up a Detroit-bound U.S. airliner on Christmas Day 2009 with a > > > bomb hidden in his underpants. > > > There is no doubt Abdulmutallab was an admirer or follower of Awlaki, > > > since he admitted that to U.S. investigators. When he appeared in a > > > Detroit courtroom earlier this week for the start of his trial on bomb- > > > plot charges, he proclaimed, "Anwar is alive." > > > But at the time the White House was considering putting Awlaki on the > > > U.S. target list, intelligence connecting Awlaki specifically to > > > Abdulmutallab and his alleged bomb plot was partial. Officials said at > > > the time the United States had voice intercepts involving a phone > > > known to have been used by Awlaki and someone who they believed, but > > > were not positive, was Abdulmutallab. > > > Awlaki was also implicated in a case in which a British Airways > > > employee was imprisoned for plotting to blow up a U.S.-bound plane. E- > > > mails retrieved by authorities from the employee's computer showed > > > what an investigator described as " operational contact" between > > > Britain and Yemen. > > > Authorities believe the contacts were mainly between the U.K.-based > > > suspect and his brother. But there was a strong suspicion Awlaki was > > > at the brother's side when the messages were dispatched. British media > > > reported that in one message, the person on the Yemeni end supposedly > > > said, "Our highest priority is the US ... With the people you have, is > > > it possible to get a package or a person with a package on board a > > > flight heading to the US?" > > > U.S. officials contrast intelligence suggesting Awlaki's involvement > > > in specific plots with the activities of Adam Gadahn, an American > > > citizen who became a principal English-language propagandist for the > > > core al Qaeda network formerly led by Osama bin Laden. > > > While Gadahn appeared in angry videos calling for attacks on the > > > United States, officials said he had not been specifically targeted > > > for capture or killing by U.S. forces because he was regarded as a > > > loudmouth not directly involved in plotting attacks. > > > > http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/05/us-cia-killlist-idUSTRE7947... > > > >www.realindianews.blogspot.com- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. 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