US Sued By The Relatives Of US Citizens Killed By Drone Strikes In Yemen

Anwar al-Awlaki was seen as an astute communicator and linked to several plots. BBC

Relatives Sue Officials Over U.S. Citizens Killed by Drone Strikes In Yemen -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — Relatives of three American citizens killed in drone strikes in Yemen last year filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against four senior national security officials on Wednesday. The suit, in the Federal District Court here, opened a new chapter in the legal wrangling over the Obama administration’s use of drones in pursuit of terrorism suspects away from traditional “hot” battlefields like Afghanistan.

The first strike, on Sept. 30, killed a group of people including Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical Muslim cleric who was born in New Mexico, and Samir Khan, a naturalized American citizen who lived at times in Queens, Long Island and North Carolina. The second, on Oct. 14, killed a group of people including Mr. Awlaki’s 16-year-old son, Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, who was born in Colorado.

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More News on The US Being Sued By The Relatives Of US Citizens Killed By Drone Strikes In Yemen

Military sued over al-Awlaki Yemen drone death -- BBC
Awlaki family sues Panetta, Petraeus -- UPI
Families of US citizens killed in drone strike file wrongful death lawsuit -- The Guardian
Families sue US for killing three citizens in Yemen drone strikes -- Christian Science Monitor
Awlaki family files suit against US government over drone strikes -- FOX News
Killing of Al Qaeda cleric Awlaki unconstitutional, suit charges -- L.A. Times
Families of Americans killed by drones file suit -- Washington Post
Civil rights groups sue U.S. for killing of Americans tied to al Qaeda -- CNN
ACLU suing U.S. over drone killings of citizens in Yemen -- New York Daily News
CIA sued over targeted-kill drone strikes -- RT

How Al Qaeda Leader Anwar al-Awlaki Was Tracked And Killed By A Drone Strike

How America Finally Caught Up With Anwar al-Awlaki -- The Telegraph

The capture of a low-level errand-runner was the key breakthrough that led to the al-Qaeda leader's death, report Adam Baron and Majid al-Kabsi in Sana'a, Colin Freeman and Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent.

As he sat by a roadside eating what would be his last ever breakfast, Anwar al-Awlaki could have been forgiven for being in upbeat mood. Some 18 months after Washington had given him arguably the ultimate terrorist accolade by putting him on a list of people authorised for assassination, he was still hiding in the lawless Yemeni mountains where neither his own government nor US drone strikes could seem to reach him.

Then, as he and his comrades chewed dates and drank traditional Yemeni tea, a high-pitched buzz above them signalled yet another drone strike - this time one that found its mark.

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My Comment: The above Al Jazeera video on Anwar Awlaki gives additional details on the impact that Awlaki's death may have in the region.

Al Qaeda Leader Awlaki Nearly Assassinated By U.S. Missile Strike

U.S. Nearly Assassinated Top Al Qaeda Leader Awlaki, Sources Say -- FOX News

The U.S. nearly took out Anwar Al-Awlaki, a top Al Qaeda target in Yemen, in an assassination attempt days after the killing of Usama bin Laden, senior U.S. defense and intelligence sources tell Fox News.

On May 5, Marine Harrier jets were sent on a mission to follow Awlaki using intelligence provided by Yemenis hoping to keep President Ali Abdullah Saleh in power.

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Update: U.S. Missiles Missed Awlaki By Inches In Yemen -- ABC News

My Comment: There will be a next time, and he may not be that lucky.

The Problem Of Capturing Al Qaeda Operatives In Yemen

Yemen: The War On Terror And A Deadly Game Of Cat And Mouse -- Washington Times

Tribal customs and a deadly ambivalence towards the West mean that the hunt for Anwar al-Awlaki will be long and frustrating.

Sheikh Ahmed Shuraif certainly has the tools for the job the Americans and British want him to do. Kalashnikov rifles litter the floor of the spacious lounge where he and his men gather in the afternoon to chew qat, Yemenis' favourite narcotic leaf. And this is just his town house in Yemen's capital, Sana'a. Out in the province of Marib, where he commands one of Yemen's most important tribes, he is reputed to have the country's largest private army, including tanks.

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More News On Al Qaeda In Yemen

Yemen tribal leaders will not hand over al-Qaeda operatives -- The Telegraph
Yemenis refuse to hand over terrorists -- Montreal Gazette/The Telegraph
Yemen tribal leaders not playing ball with govt. in handing over Qaeda operatives -- Thaindian News
Volatile state is a terrorist threat the world is stuck with -- Sydney Morning Herald
Awlaki: 'The Most Dangerous Man in The World' -- ABC News
'Kill list': Is counterterrorism tactic against Anwar al-Awlaki illegal? -- Christian Science Monitor
Behind drones in Yemen, a struggle to control covert ops -- Gareth Porter, Khaleej Times opinion

A Call To Kill Americans From Anwar Awlaki

Awlaki Calls For Killing Of Americans -- ABC News

In New Video, Radical Yemen Cleric Says No Permission Needed To Kill American 'Devils'.

Anwar al-Awlaki, the American Yemeni cleric who has been linked to previous attacks on Americans, including the Ft. Hood shootings and the failed Christmas Day "underwear" bombing, has issued an explicit call for the murder of American civilians.

In a 23-minute video released via radical Islamist web sites Monday, Awlaki says that any jihadi who wants to kill Americans doesn't need a "fatwa" or special religious permission, since Americans are the enemy and the "devil."

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More News On Anwar al-Awlaki's Call For Muslims To Kill Americans

Radical Yemeni cleric calls for killing Americans -- AP
Yemen Muslim cleric al-Awlaki in US death threat video -- BBC
Kill Americans, Awlaki says in new tape -- UPI
U.S.-Born Radical Cleric: "Either Them or Us" -- CBS

Prosecutors charge U.S.-born cleric with additional crimes in Yemen -- CNN
Yemen Judge Orders Arrest of Qaeda-Linked Cleric -- New York Times
Yemen orders troops to 'forcibly arrest' Al Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki -- Christian Science Monitor
Top charities give £200,000 to group which supported al-Qaeda cleric -- The Telegraph
YouTube removes 'al-Qaeda videos' -- Al Jazeera
New face of terror has Yemenis scratching their heads -- L.A. Times
Can US kill American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki? Judge to hear case. -- Christian Science Monitor