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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/24/the-doubtful-morality-of-killing-british-isis-fighters
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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| The doubtful morality of killing British Isis fighters | The doubtful morality of killing British Isis fighters |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| The problem with Rory Stewart’s suggestion that all British Islamic State fighters should be killed rather than being allowed to return to the UK (Report, 23 October) is that it ignores the following. | The problem with Rory Stewart’s suggestion that all British Islamic State fighters should be killed rather than being allowed to return to the UK (Report, 23 October) is that it ignores the following. |
| First, that killing British Isis fighters is something Britain has done without regard to the rule of law since the targeted killing of Reyaad Khan in 2015. Parliament voted on 30 August 2013 against military intervention in Syria. In July 2015 the British state had to admit that UK personnel embedded with western coalition forces had conducted airstrikes in Syria and that at least two SAS squadrons were operating in Syria. Then came the targeted killings of Reyaad Khan and Junaid Hussain. Parliament’s vote against intervention made it is impossible to justify their deaths under a war paradigm. They were simply arbitrary executions. | First, that killing British Isis fighters is something Britain has done without regard to the rule of law since the targeted killing of Reyaad Khan in 2015. Parliament voted on 30 August 2013 against military intervention in Syria. In July 2015 the British state had to admit that UK personnel embedded with western coalition forces had conducted airstrikes in Syria and that at least two SAS squadrons were operating in Syria. Then came the targeted killings of Reyaad Khan and Junaid Hussain. Parliament’s vote against intervention made it is impossible to justify their deaths under a war paradigm. They were simply arbitrary executions. |
| Second, since the authorisation by parliament of bombing raids against Isis in Syria in December 2015, at least 4,000 non-combatants have been killed by coalition bombings (according to the Airwars monitoring group). | Second, since the authorisation by parliament of bombing raids against Isis in Syria in December 2015, at least 4,000 non-combatants have been killed by coalition bombings (according to the Airwars monitoring group). |
| All of this suggests that Stewart has let the cat out of the bag. The moral equivalence between the parties is closer than he might like to think. Arbitrary killings, disregard for civilian lives, all in the name of democracy.Nick MossLondon | All of this suggests that Stewart has let the cat out of the bag. The moral equivalence between the parties is closer than he might like to think. Arbitrary killings, disregard for civilian lives, all in the name of democracy.Nick MossLondon |
| • Rory Stewart’s comments on summary justice for Isis fighters are abhorrent. The highest ranking Nazis and Japanese politicians responsible for the worst atrocities of the second world war were accorded a fair trial before sentence was passed. In these troubled times, let us not lose sight of what separates those of us who cherish human rights from those who advocate tyranny. Ridzuan FaroukSingapore | • Rory Stewart’s comments on summary justice for Isis fighters are abhorrent. The highest ranking Nazis and Japanese politicians responsible for the worst atrocities of the second world war were accorded a fair trial before sentence was passed. In these troubled times, let us not lose sight of what separates those of us who cherish human rights from those who advocate tyranny. Ridzuan FaroukSingapore |
| • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com | • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com |
| • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters | • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters |
| Islamic State | Islamic State |
| Counter-terrorism policy | Counter-terrorism policy |
| Human rights | Human rights |
| Rory Stewart | Rory Stewart |
| Syria | Syria |
| Middle East and North Africa | Middle East and North Africa |
| letters | letters |
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