Part III Counter-terrorism In Practice, 24 Use of Lethal Force against Suspected Terrorists
David Kretzmer
From: Counter-Terrorism: International Law and Practice
Edited By: Ana María Salinas de Frías, Katja Samuel, Nigel D White
- Subject(s):
- Terrorism — Armed conflict, international — Use of force, threat — Self-defence — Right to life — Conduct of hostilities — Prisoners of war
In the struggle against terror those responsible for counter-terrorism measures may honestly believe that it would be effective to use lethal force against suspected terrorists. They are most likely to reach this conclusion when they cannot lay their hands on the suspected terrorists since they are in the territory of another country that is either unwilling to constrain their activities, or incapable of doing so. The authorities may argue that their primary duty to protect the lives and security of their own citizens and residents does not allow them to sit back...
