American Citizen Extra-Judicially Assasinated

The insane war on terror takes another life.

SANA, Yemen — In a significant and dramatic strike in the campaign against Al Qaeda, the Defense Ministry here said American-born preacher Anwar al-Awlaki, a leading figure in the group’s outpost in Yemen, was killed on Friday morning.

In Washington a senior Obama administration official confirmed that Mr. Awlaki was dead. But the circumstances surrounding the killing remained unclear.

It was not immediately known whether Yemeni forces carried out the attack or if American intelligence forces, which have been pursuing Mr. Awlaki for months, were involved in the operation.

A Defense Ministry statement said that a number of Mr. Awlaki’s bodyguards also were killed.

A high-ranking Yemeni security official who spoke on condition of anonymity said that Mr. Awlaki was killed while traveling between Marib and al-Jawf provinces in northern Yemen — areas known for having an Al Qaeda presence, where there is very little central government control. The official did not say how he was killed.

Mr. Awlaki’s name has been associated with many plots in the United States and elsewhere after individuals planning violence were drawn to his engaging lectures broadcast over the Internet.

If you read the piece, it is clear how incredibly vague the charges are on Awlaki are. Awlaki may have been a sick person-- though I seriously doubt he was anywhere as bad as the US made out-- but he at least deserved a trial. The outrageous thing is at worst, this guy gave speeches that inspired terror plots. There is no evidence he actually was involved in planning any actual attack. This article says Awlaki was involved in actually planning bombing of planes.

Also, check how the NYTimes propaganda machine says "American-born" rather than American citizen. Saying the govt was killing a citizen in this way would surely provoke more outrage.

UPDATE: Greenwald chimes in on this, as expected. (New piece on 10/3 here) And at least Wonkette gets it.