The problem with a ‘shoot-to-kill’ policy on foreign fighters

As ISIS’ self-proclaimed caliphate disintegrated in Iraq and Syria in 2017, Western governments faced the question of where their citizens who joined ISIS as foreign fighters would now go. Contemplating the likelihood that they might attempt to return to their countries of origin, some officials were calling for their armed forces to kill them on the battlefield before they could make their way home.

In this commentary feature the author argued that such a policy was certainly morally questionable, but was it also unlawful?

The crucial question was whether Western forces were distinguishing between fighters and those who play other roles in ISIS’s crumbling caliphate.

• Primary Source

Politico, 18.10.16: European Security Commissioner: Mosul offensive could send ISIL fighters to Europe (et al) http://www.europeansources.info/record/european-security-commissioner-mosul-offensive-could-send-isil-fighters-to-europe/

The Guardian, 07.12.17: [Opinion]: Call for troops to kill UK Isis fighters is illegal and immoral, say critics https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/dec/07/defence-secretarys-kill-uk-jihadists-call-causes-widespread-outrage

The Wall Street Journal, 29.05.17: France’s Special Forces Hunt French Militants Fighting for Islamic State https://www.wsj.com/articles/frances-special-forces-hunt-french-militants-fighting-for-islamic-state-1496090116

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