American Born Cleric Targeted By CIA

By Ahmad Shihadah

Impunity Watch, Middle East Desk

WASHINGTON D.C., USA – The Obama administration has authorized the CIA to capture or kill the New Mexico-born Muslim cleric believed to be in Yemen. He is thought to have taken on an operational role in terrorist plots.

Anwar Awlaki, 38, who was born in New Mexico, recently was added to the CIA target list after a special government review of his activities, prompted by his status as a U.S. citizen, one of the officials said.

Last month, in an audio message, Awlaki called on American Muslims to revolt against the U.S. government because of its actions against other Muslims around the world.

Awlaki is now considered a legitimate target for military strikes and lethal CIA operations.  He has ties to the Nigerian man accused of attempting to detonate an explosive device in his underwear on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day, according to the Post. Officials said Awlaki also corresponded by e-mail with Maj. Nidal M. Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, last year.

Over the past year, the US has increased the number of militants it has killed or captured, with those killed seeing the most pointed rise, says Thomas Sanderson, deputy director of the transnational threats program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington. That rise is due to a “confluence of factors,” including better intelligence, more targeting, and increased cooperation between the US and Pakistan, he says.

Yemen has intensified its campaign against al-Qaida militants after the group’s local branch claimed responsibility for the failed bombing of the plane in December.

For More Information, Please See:

The Christian Science Monitor – Anwar Al-Awlaki: Is It Legal To Kill An American In War On Terror? – 7 April 2010

LA Times – U.S. Citizen Anwar Awlaki Added To CIA Target List – 7 April 2010

Politics Daily – American Cleric In Yemen Targeted By CIA – 7 April 2010

VOA News – Reports CIA Authorized To Kill US-Born Cleric – 7 April 2010

Author: Impunity Watch Archive