Introduction
Al-Qaeda posed a significant threat to peace in the world and the United States specifically, as it conducted several terrorist attacks throughout the past several decades, causing considerable loss of life. Eventually, Osama bin Laden, who posed as a leader of this organization, was tracked down in his hideout in Pakistan, and a raid was conducted by the Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) team (Panzeri, 2014). However, Operation Geronimo was met with mixed reactions from the public, as some people perceived it as a targeted killing on foreign grounds. However, President Obama had sufficient grounds to execute the operation based on the legal permissions given to him by U.S. laws.
Discussion
The first reason for Operation Geronimo’s legitimacy is the fact that the goal of the raid was not to eliminate Osama bin Laden, as priority was given to his capture. Since bin Laden had an opportunity to escape and did not surrender when commanded so, while being considered a combatant, he was a legal target to kill (Govern, 2012). It was impossible to apprehend the target without the use of lethal force.
Such a decision had to be taken in a split second, requiring the team’s utmost focus on the target of their mission. It is essential to comprehend that the raid remained within the legal limitations that the public law allowed, as its scale and format were tailored precisely for the sensitive objective (Panzeri, 2014). Therefore, President Obama was within his rights to apply this exact force in this raid.
Second, U.S. domestic law permits targeted killings under specific circumstances, which were fulfilled in that situation. Joint Resolution (2001) proclaims that the U.S. President can use “necessary and appropriate force against those […] persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001” (p. 360). Due to this public law, President Obama had the right to proceed with Operation Geronimo the way it was conducted. Despite the public criticism and unverified interviews with individuals who participated in this mission, the rule of law was kept intact during Operation Geronimo, according to the official documents (Govern, 2012). This notion confirms that the President’s actions did not exceed his power.
Third, Osama bin Laden was on the list of individuals who posed a severe threat to U.S. citizens and the country’s security. This categorization took place after the 9/11 terrorist attack, which led to Al-Qaeda’s leaders and generals becoming high-value targets and a focus of U.S. foreign internal defense policies (Govern, 2012). U.S. authorities have been acting in accordance with the interests of the country’s national security standards, creating a legal ground for President Obama to allow such a raid.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Operation Geronimo was legitimate to execute, as President Obama did not intend to kill the head of the terrorist organization but to capture him instead. However, the circumstances prompted President Obama to act upon the information provided to him and eliminate Osama bin Laden since his apprehension was deemed to be impossible or life-threatening to the involved operators. Public Law 107-40 and the official documents describing the mission prove that President Obama had the right to perform Operation Geronimo and remained within his limitations. Moreover, the U.S. national security doctrine provided additional support for such decision-making, confirming the possibility of capture-or-kill missions on Al-Qaeda members.
References
Govern, K. H. (2012). Operation Neptune Spear: Was killing bin Laden a legitimate military objective? In C. Finkelstein, J. D. Ohlin, & A. Altman (Eds.), Targeted killings: Law and morality in an asymmetrical world (pp. 347–373). Oxford University Press.
Joint Resolution. Publ. L. No. 107-40, 115 Stat. 224 (2001). Web.
Panzeri, P. (2014). Killing bin Laden: Operation Neptune Spear 2011. Osprey Publishing.