Abdulrahman al-Awlaki

Photograph of Abdulrahman Al-Awlaki

Abdulrahman al-Awlaki
Born Abdulrahman Anwar al-Aulaqi[1]
(1995-08-26)August 26, 1995[1]
Denver, Colorado, U.S.[1]
Died October 14, 2011(2011-10-14) (aged 16)
Yemen
Nationality American[1]
Known for Being killed in a drone strike

Abdulrahman Anwar al-Awlaki (born al-Aulaqi; 26 August 1995 – 14 October 2011) was a 16-year-old American of Yemeni descent who was killed while eating dinner at an outdoor restaurant in Yemen by a drone airstrike ordered by U.S. President Barack Obama on 14 October 2011.[2][3][4][5] Abdulrahman Al-Awlaki's father, Anwar al-Awlaki, was an operational leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.[6] Anwar was killed by a CIA drone strike[7] also ordered by President Barack Obama two weeks prior to the death of his son. On January 29, 2017, Anwar al-Awlaki's 8-year-old daughter, Nawar al-Awlaki, the half sister of Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, was killed in a commando attack ordered by President Donald Trump.[8][9][10][11]

Death

Al-Awlaki's birth certificate.

Human rights groups have raised questions as to why al-Awlaki was killed by the U.S. in a country with which the United States was not at war. Jameel Jaffer, deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, stated "If the government is going to be firing Predator missiles at American citizens, surely the American public has a right to know who’s being targeted, and why."[12]

Two U.S. officials speaking on condition of anonymity stated that the target of the October 14, 2011 airstrike was Ibrahim al-Banna, an Egyptian believed to be a senior operative in Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.[12] Another U.S. administration official speaking on condition of anonymity described Abdulrahman al-Awlaki as a bystander who was "in the wrong place at the wrong time," stating that "the U.S. government did not know that Mr. Awlaki’s son was there" before the airstrike was ordered.[12] When pressed by a reporter to defend the targeted killing policy that resulted in Abdulrahman al-Awlaki's death, former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs deflected blame to the victim's father: "I would suggest that you should have a far more responsible father if they are truly concerned about the well-being of their children. I don’t think becoming an al Qaeda jihadist terrorist is the best way to go about doing your business."[13][14][15]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Abdulrahman al-Awlaki's birth certificate". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  2. ↑ CODEPINK Repeatedly Disrupts Brennan Hearing Calling Out Names Of Civilians Killed in Drone Strikes 10:38 minutes in
  3. ↑ Johnson, Carrie (July 19, 2012). "Families Sue Over U.S. Deaths In Yemen Drone Strikes". NPR. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  4. ↑ "American drone deaths highlight controversy". NBC News. February 5, 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  5. ↑ Al-Aulaqi v. Panetta
  6. ↑ Mark Mazzetti; Charlie Savage; Scott Shane (March 9, 2013). "How a U.S. Citizen Came to Be in America’s Cross Hairs". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2015-09-29. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  7. ↑ Raghavan, Sudarsan (September 30, 2011). "Awlaqi hit misses al-Qaeda bombmaker, Yemen says". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  8. ↑ Scahill, Jeremy, Pardiss Kebriaei, Baraa Shiban, and Amy Goodman. "Yemen: Jeremy Scahill & Advocates Question "Success" of Trump Raid That Killed 24 Civilians", Democracy Now!, 3 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  9. ↑ Ghobari, Mohammed and Phil Stewart. "Commando dies in U.S. raid in Yemen, first military op OK'd by Trump", Reuters, 29 January 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  10. ↑ Myre, Greg. "Trump Aims For Big Splash In Taking On Terror Fight", NPR, 29 January 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  11. ↑ "1 US service member killed, 3 wounded in Yemen raid", WPVI-TV, 6 ABC Action News, Philadelphia, PA. 29 January 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  12. 1 2 3 Whitloc, Craig (October 23, 2011). "U.S. airstrike that killed American teen in Yemen raises legal, ethical questions". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  13. ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/24/robert-gibbs-anwar-al-awlaki_n_2012438.html
  14. ↑ "If U.S. Government Can Kill An American Child In A Drone Strike, Is Anyone Safe?". August 28, 2015.
  15. ↑ Friedersdorf, Conor (October 24, 2012). "How Team Obama Justifies the Killing of a 16-Year-Old American". The Atlantic. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
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