Assassination campaign

Last updated

An assassination campaign is a series of assassinations carried out to achieve a larger political goal.

History

In the 19th century, Narodnaya Volya carried out a campaign of assassinations against high-ranking Russian leaders. [1]

In India, during the Punjab Insurgency militants launched an assassination campaign against the pro-negotiation Akali Dal (L) and Akali Dal (B) members as well as members f=of the CPI and CPIM. [2] In northern Ireland, an assassination campaign was directed against representatives of the British Army, the RUC, the Ulster Defence Regiment, and their respective reserves. [3] Operation Wrath of God was an assassination campaign. According to The Washington Post , among Syria's "most notable activities of the past few years have been the serial assassination of senior Lebanese politicians, including former prime minister Rafik Hariri". [4] According to The New York Times , in 2007, Sunni Arab extremists began a systematic campaign to assassinate police chiefs, police officers, other Interior Ministry officials and tribal leaders throughout Iraq, staging at least 10 attacks in 48 hours. [5]

Assassination campaigns also occurred in the North Caucasus. [6] Assassination campaigns have taken place as well in Iran. [7] Operation Condor was another assassination campaign. The Taliban has also been waging an assassination campaign against members of the Afghan central government. [8]

In 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush signed an intelligence finding that could have opened the door to an American targeted killing campaign. In The Impact of 9/11 and the New Legal Landscape: The Day That Changed Everything? , the point is made that "There is a major difference between assassination and targeted killing.... targeted killing [is] not synonymous with assassination. Assassination ... constitutes an illegal killing." [9] Similarly, Amos Guiora, Professor of law at the University of Utah, writes: "Targeted killing is ... not an assassination", Steve David, Johns Hopkins Associate Dean & Professor of International Relations, writes: "there are strong reasons to believe that the Israeli policy of targeted killing is not the same as assassination", Syracuse Law Professor William Banks and GW Law Professor Peter Raven-Hansen write: "Targeted killing of terrorists is ... not unlawful and would not constitute assassination", Rory Miller writes: "Targeted killing ... is not 'assassination'", and Associate Professor Eric Patterson and Teresa Casale write: "Perhaps most important is the legal distinction between targeted killing and assassination". [10] [11] [12] [13] Former CIA operative Sam Wyman believed that method should only be used as a last resort. [14] Barack Obama has ordered unmanned aerial vehicles to carry out targeted killing attacks on Taliban and al Qaeda leaders, which the U.S. distinguishes from assassinations, [15] though this semantic is disputed by his critics. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Qaeda</span> Pan-Islamic Sunni Jihadist terrorist organization (established 1988)

Al-Qaeda is a pan-Islamist militant organization led by Sunni Jihadists who self-identify as a vanguard spearheading a global Islamist revolution to unite the Muslim world under a supra-national Islamic state known as the Caliphate. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include people from other ethnic groups. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian, economic and military targets of the US and its allies; such as the 1998 US embassy bombings, the USS Cole bombing and the September 11 attacks. The organization is designated as a terrorist group by NATO, UN Security Council, the European Union, and various countries around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assassination</span> Murder of a prominent person for personal gain

Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a person—especially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by grievances, notoriety, financial, military, political or other motives. Many times governments, corporations, organized crime or their agents order assassinations. Acts of assassination have been performed since ancient times. A person who carries out an assassination is called an assassin or hitman.

The Black September Organization (BSO) was a Palestinian militant organization founded in 1970. Besides other actions, the group was responsible for the assassination of the Jordanian Prime Minister Wasfi Tal, and the Munich massacre, in which eleven Israeli athletes and officials were kidnapped and killed, as well as a West German policeman dying, during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, their most publicized event. These attacks led to the creation or specialization of permanent counter-terrorism forces in many European countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Car bomb</span> Improvised explosive device

A car bomb, bus bomb, van bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles.

The Faurisson affair was an academic controversy following publication of a book, Mémoire en défense (1980), by French professor Robert Faurisson, a Holocaust denier, and the inclusion of an essay by American linguist Noam Chomsky, entitled "Some Elementary Comments on the Rights of Freedom of Expression", as an introduction to Faurisson's book.

Takfiri is an Arabic and Islamic term denoting a Muslim who excommunicates one of his/her coreligionists, i.e. who accuses another Muslim of being an apostate.

Rory Carroll is an Irish journalist working for The Guardian who has reported from the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, Latin America and Los Angeles. He is the Ireland correspondent for The Guardian. His book on Hugo Chávez, Comandante, was published in March 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taliban insurgency</span> Insurgency during the War in Afghanistan

The Taliban insurgency began after the group's fall from power during the 2001 War in Afghanistan. The Taliban forces fought against the Afghan government, led by President Hamid Karzai, and later by President Ashraf Ghani, and against a US-led coalition of forces that has included all members of NATO; the 2021 Taliban offensive resulted in the collapse of the government of Ashraf Ghani. The private sector in Pakistan extends financial aid to the Taliban, contributing to their financial sustenance.

Ismail Hafidh al-Lami — known as Abu Deraa is an Iraqi Shia militant whose men have been accused of retaliatory terrorizing and killing Sunnis.

Numerous civilians, including men, women, children, government officials, activists, secular intellectuals and clerics have been victims of assassination, terrorism, or violence against non-combatants, over the course of modern Iranian history. Among the most notable acts of terrorism in Iran in the 20th century have been the 1978 Cinema Rex fire and the 1990s chain murders of Iran.

Communist terrorism is terrorism perpetrated by individuals or groups which adhere to communism and ideologies related to it, such as Marxism–Leninism, Maoism, and Trotskyism. Historically, communist terrorism has sometimes taken the form of state-sponsored terrorism, supported by communist nations such as the Soviet Union, China, North Korea and Kampuchea. In addition, non-state actors such as the Red Brigades, the Front Line and the Red Army Faction have also engaged in communist terrorism. These groups hope to inspire the masses to rise up and start a revolution to overthrow existing political and economic systems. This form of terrorism can sometimes be called red terrorism or left-wing terrorism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harchand Singh Longowal</span> Indian politician (1932–1985)

Harchand Singh Longowal was the President of the Akali Dal during the Punjab insurgency of the 1980. He had signed the Punjab accord, also known as the Rajiv-Longowal Accord along with Rajiv Gandhi on 24 July 1985. The government accepted most of the demands of Akali Dal who in turn agreed to withdraw their agitation. Less than a month after signing the Punjab accord, Sant Longowal was assassinated by Gyan Singh Leel and Jarnail Singh Halvara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amos N. Guiora</span> Israeli-American professor of law at S

Amos Neuser Guiora is an Israeli-American professor of law at S. J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah, specializing in institutional complicity, enabling culture, and sexual assaults. Guiora’s scholarship explores institutional complicity in relation to the victimization of young people by college sports coaches, trainers, doctors, and Catholic priests. As a result of this work, Guiora has become not just an academic but also an advocate for sexual assault victims.

Several scholars have accused the United States of involvement in state terrorism. They have written about the US and other liberal democracies' use of state terrorism, particularly in relation to the Cold War. According to them, state terrorism is used to protect the interest of capitalist elites, and the U.S. organized a neo-colonial system of client states, co-operating with regional elites to rule through terror.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insurgency in Ingushetia</span> 2007–2015 armed conflict in Ingushetia, Russia

The Insurgency in Ingushetia began in 2007 as an escalation of an insurgency in Ingushetia connected to the separatist conflict in Chechnya. The conflict has been described as a civil war by local human rights activists and opposition politicians; others have referred to it as an uprising. By mid-2009 Ingushetia had surpassed Chechnya as the most violent of the North Caucasus republics. However, by 2015 the insurgency in the Republic had greatly weakened, and the casualty toll declined substantially in the intervening years.

Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project, 561 U.S. 1 (2010), was a case decided in June 2010 by the Supreme Court of the United States regarding the Patriot Act's prohibition on providing material support to foreign terrorist organizations. The case, petitioned by United States Attorney General Eric Holder, represents one of only two times in First Amendment jurisprudence that a restriction on political speech has overcome strict scrutiny. The other is Williams-Yulee v. Florida Bar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Targeted killing</span> Extrajudicial assassination by governments

Targeted killing is a form of assassination carried out by governments outside a judicial procedure or a battlefield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights abuses in Balochistan</span> Organized abuse and breaches of fundamental human rights in Balochistan, Pakistan

Human rights abuses in the province ofBalochistan refers to the human rights violations that are occurring in the ongoing insurgency in Balochistan. The situation has drawn concern from the international community, The human rights situation in Balochistan is credited to the long-running conflict between Baloch nationalists and Pakistani security forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mullah Dadullah Front</span> Afghan Salafi jihadist group active since 2007

The Mullah Dadullah Front was an insurgent group in Afghanistan that claimed responsibility for a series of bombings and assassinations centered in Kabul.

<i>Faith-Based Violence and Deobandi Militancy in Pakistan</i> 2016 book

Faith-Based Violence and Deobandi Militancy in Pakistan is a book released in 2016 by Palgrave Macmillan, which explores the connection between Deobandi ideology and acts of violence and terrorism based on faith in Pakistan. The book consists of 18 chapters, presenting an easily understandable analysis. It also delves into the presence of Deobandi groups in Western nations and other countries, discussing the involvement of their radical factions in incidents of violence and terrorism on an international scale.

References

  1. ↑ James M. Lutz, Brenda J. Lutz. "Terrorism and Ideologies of the Left". Global terrorism. pp. 119–120.
  2. ↑ John McGarry, Brendan O'Leary. The Politics of ethnic conflict regulation.
  3. ↑ Foley, Thomas P., Public Security and Individual Freedom: The Dilemma of Northern Ireland, 8 Yale J. World Pub. Ord. 284 (1981–1982)
  4. ↑ "Mr. Assad's Medicine". The Washington Post. October 28, 2008.
  5. ↑ Pitney, Nico (September 26, 2007). "Sunnis Insurgents Launch 'Systematic Assassination Campaign'". Huffington Post.
  6. ↑ Smirnov, Andrei (February 8, 2007). "Putin Overlooks Assassination Campaign Sweeping the North Caucasus". Jamestown. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  7. ↑ Lowther, William; Freeman, Colin (February 25, 2007). "US funds terror groups to sow chaos in Iran". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  8. ↑ "TODAYonline - Comprehensive local and international news and analysis". Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
  9. ↑ Matthew J. Morgan (2009). The Impact of 9–11: The New Legal Landscape. Macmillan. ISBN   978-0-230-60838-2 . Retrieved May 29, 2010.
  10. ↑ Amos Guiora (2004). "Targeted Killing as Active Self-Defense". 36 Case W. Res. J. Int'l L. 31920. Retrieved May 29, 2010.
  11. ↑ Steven R. David (September 2002). "Fatal Choices: Israel's Policy Of Targeted Killing" (PDF). The Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 16, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2010.
  12. ↑ Rory Miller (2007). Ireland and the Middle East: trade, society and peace. Irish Academic Press. ISBN   978-0-7165-2868-5 . Retrieved May 29, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Targeted Killing and Assassination: The U.S. Legal Framework", Banks, William C., Raven-Hansen, Peter, 37 U. Rich. L. Rev. 667 (2002–03). Retrieved October 89, 2010.
  14. ↑ "An Eye For An Eye". CBS News. November 20, 2001.
  15. ↑ "Obama ups Pakistan drone strikes in assassination campaign". Christian Science Monitor. 2010-02-02.
  16. ↑ Chomsky, Noam. "Noam Chomsky on the new Trump era". Youtube. Al Jazeera Upfront. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.