Al-Qaeda's attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 shattered preexisting notions about terrorism. Historically, the world community has viewed terrorism as a criminal activity to be opposed by law enforcement. Post-9/11, opinion has shifted toward the view that international terrorists are combatants in an ongoing armed conflict between the United States and its allies. This paper asserts that targeted killing of terrorists is a legal and effective tool Combatant Commanders (COCOMs) should employ in the war on terrorism. To provide the legal basis for targeted killing, the author examines existing international legal opinion and the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC), showing targeted killing is not assassination and that the targeted killing of terrorists can be defended -- when conducted according to LOAC -- as legitimate military action against unlawful enemy combatants. Included is a brief discussion of Israel's targeted killing campaign to demonstrate that targeted killing is an effective as well as a legal tactic. Finally, the paper contends that the authorization of targeted killing operations should rest with COCOMs, and makes recommendations to the operational commander for maximizing success without negatively impacting the overall campaign against international terrorism.


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