The race is on. Ahmed Abdullah Saleh al Khazmari al Zahrani, who is better known as Abu Maryam al Zahrani probably made it to the U.S. ‘kill these guys’ list today. He’s been on the Saudi list of wanted terrorists since 2009, mainly for acts committed in 2007 and his ongoing propaganda work for al-Qaeda. Membership in al-Qaeda is a crime in Saudi Arabia.
There is a difference in the lists. The U.S. designation blocks all al-Zahrani's property interests subject to U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with or for the benefit of al-Zahrani. It may also move him up as a candidate for ‘targeted strikes.’ If we find him we’ll probably kill him in another cowardly act of murder by Obama. It is the President of the United States who actually signs off on the kill list when we are in doubt about our ability, or willingness to put American lives at risk, to capture accused terrorists.
The Saudis, on the other hand, want to bring him to trial. It sounds like the Saudis take a more Rule of Law path than the U.S. policy of “kill first, defend the action later.” Our drone enforcement policy is drag on our reputation in the international community and should be halted. Being afraid to execute an arrest warrant is no excuse for extrajudicial murder.
This past year the Saudis have tried over 100 al-Qaeda operatives and extracted a great deal of information from them. The U.S. drone justice has killed hundreds in over 333 strikes in Afghanistan alone and learned nothing from them.
If we had the courage of our stated convictions we would bring more terrorists to trial and murder fewer innocent civilians.
January 25, 2013 by Bruce Wallace, 121Contact
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