American citizen Dangerous terrorist almost assassinated

Margaret Coker, et al, reported for Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal that the Obama Administration just tried but failed to assassinate US citizen Anwar Al-Awlaki: Strike Marked Yemeni Cleric 05/06/2011. Despite the Murdoch-y headline, Al-Awlaki is a US citizen. Here's how they report it, relying on an anonymous "Yememi account," whatever that may mean:

According to a Yemeni account of Thursday's strike, the U.S. launched two separate attacks aimed at Mr. Awlaki in the southern province of Shebwa, which is considered an AQAP [Al Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula] stronghold.

The missiles killed two suspected AQAP members but missed their intended target, Mr. Awlaki. Although the strike was conducted by the military, the operation—like the bin Laden raid—appears to be the result of close cooperation between the Department of Defense, the CIA and Yemeni officials.

Yemen officials said the U.S. fired twice at Mr. Awlaki in two attacks spread over about 45 minutes. In the first, the U.S. fired three rockets at a pickup truck in which Mr. Awlaki and a Saudi national and suspected al Qaeda member were traveling outside the village of Jahwa, located some 20 miles away from the Shebwa provincial capital, according to local residents and the Yemeni security official.

Two Yemeni brothers, who were known by local residents for giving shelter to al Qaeda militants, rushed to the scene of the attack. Mr. Awlaki switched vehicles with them, leaving the two Yemenis in the pickup. A single missile from the U.S. rocket then hit the pickup truck, killing the Yemenis inside.

Mr. Awlaki escaped in the other vehicle.

The writers draw this conclusion:

The strike sends a clear message that despite turmoil in the Middle East and the success of the bin Laden operation, the U.S. is resolved to ratchet up an aggressive campaign targeting Mr. Awlaki and other members of his group.

They repeat the US claims about Al-Awlaki and his supposed role with the so-called Al Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula group.

But this is problematic, to put it mildly. This is an American citizen who has been sentenced to death by assassination by the US government, with no trial and no judicial vetting of the evidence by which he has been sentenced to death.

And not to worry about the two brothers who were erroneously killed instead. According to the Journal, they were "known by local residents for giving shelter to al Qaeda militants," so they obviously deserved to die anyway. At least that's the logic of the targeted-assassination world. If we believe the anonymous "Yememi account." And the US government's un-vetted evidence against Al-Awlaki.

For now, the Global War On Terror goes forward!

Tags: anwar al-awlaki,, global war on terror, targeted assassination