Targeted killing: a new departure for British defence and security policy?

Abigail Watson

30 March 2017

This Remote Control briefing argues for greater transparency over the political and legal basis for targeted killing – specifically when the UK targets non-state actors in areas it does not consider itself party to a conflict. While the UK has made positive steps in improving the transparency of these operations, it has also officially adopted a more expansive definition of imminence and is faltering in its commitment to open up strikes to meaningful scrutiny under the ISC. This raises serious concerns about whether the UK’s system of democratic oversight is keeping pace with changes in its military engagement.

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Image credit: Defence Images/Flickr

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