assassination campaign

In the 19th century, Narodnaya Volya carried out a campaign of assassinations against high-ranking Russian leaders.{{cite book|title=Global terrorism|author=James M. Lutz, Brenda J. Lutz|pages=119–120|chapter=Terrorism and Ideologies of the Left}}

In India, during the Punjab Insurgency militants launched an assassination campaign against the pro-negotiation Akali Dal (L) and Akali Dal (B) members as well as members of the CPI and CPIM.{{cite book|title=The Politics of ethnic conflict regulation|author=John McGarry, Brendan O'Leary}} In northern Ireland, an assassination campaign was directed against representatives of the British Army, the RUC, the Ulster Defence Regiment, and their respective reserves.Foley, Thomas P., Public Security and Individual Freedom: The Dilemma of Northern Ireland, 8 Yale J. World Pub. Ord. 284 (1981–1982) Mossad assassinations following the Munich massacre was an assassination campaign. According to The Washington Post, among Syria's "most notable activities of the past few years have been the serial assassination of senior Lebanese politicians, including former prime minister Rafik Hariri".{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/27/AR2008102702437.html | newspaper=The Washington Post | title=Mr. Assad's Medicine | date=October 28, 2008}} According to The New York Times, in 2007, Sunni Arab extremists began a systematic campaign to assassinate police chiefs, police officers, other Interior Ministry officials and tribal leaders throughout Iraq, staging at least 10 attacks in 48 hours.{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/09/26/sunnis-insurgents-launch-_n_65934.html | work=Huffington Post | first=Nico | last=Pitney | authorlink=Nico Pitney|title=Sunnis Insurgents Launch 'Systematic Assassination Campaign' | date=September 26, 2007}}

Assassination campaigns also occurred in the North Caucasus.{{Cite news |last=Smirnov |first=Andrei |date=February 8, 2007 |title=Putin Overlooks Assassination Campaign Sweeping the North Caucasus |language=en-US |work=Jamestown |url=https://jamestown.org/program/putin-overlooks-assassination-campaign-sweeping-the-north-caucasus/ |access-date=2023-04-21}} Assassination campaigns have taken place as well in Iran.{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1543798/US-funds-terror-groups-to-sow-chaos-in-Iran.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | first1=William | last1=Lowther | first2=Colin | last2=Freeman | title=US funds terror groups to sow chaos in Iran | date=February 25, 2007}} Operation Condor was another assassination campaign. The Taliban has also been waging an assassination campaign against members of the Afghan central government.{{cite web|url=http://www.todayonline.com/BreakingNews/EDC100404-0000103/Afghan-female-lawmaker-badly-injured-in-assassination-attempt-in-northern-province |accessdate=April 14, 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622000806/http://www.todayonline.com/BreakingNews/EDC100404-0000103/Afghan-female-lawmaker-badly-injured-in-assassination-attempt-in-northern-province |archivedate=June 22, 2011 |title=TODAYonline - Comprehensive local and international news and analysis }}

In 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush signed an intelligence finding that could have opened the door to an American targeted killing campaign. In [https://books.google.com/books?id=QP1Bq7HVQtwC&q=The+Impact+of+9/11+and+the+New+Legal+Landscape:+The+Day+That+Changed+Everything The Impact of 9/11 and the New Legal Landscape: The Day That Changed Everything?], the point is made that "There is a major difference between assassination and targeted killing.... targeted killing [is] not synonymous with assassination. Assassination ... constitutes an illegal killing."{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QP1Bq7HVQtwC&q=major+difference+between+assassination+and+targeted+killing|author=Matthew J. Morgan |title=The Impact of 9–11: The New Legal Landscape|isbn=978-0-230-60838-2 |publisher=Macmillan|date= 2009|accessdate=May 29, 2010}} Similarly, Amos Guiora, Professor of law at the University of Utah, writes: "Targeted killing is ... not an assassination", Steve David, Johns Hopkins Associate Dean & Professor of International Relations, writes: "there are strong reasons to believe that the Israeli policy of targeted killing is not the same as assassination", Syracuse Law Professor William Banks and GW Law Professor Peter Raven-Hansen write: "Targeted killing of terrorists is ... not unlawful and would not constitute assassination", Rory Miller writes: "Targeted killing ... is not 'assassination'", and Associate Professor Eric Patterson and Teresa Casale write: "Perhaps most important is the legal distinction between targeted killing and assassination".{{cite web|url=http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/cwrint36&div=20&id=&page=|author=Amos Guiora |title=Targeted Killing as Active Self-Defense |publisher=36 Case W. Res. J. Int'l L. 31920|date=2004 |accessdate=May 29, 2010|author-link=Amos Guiora }}{{cite web|url=http://biu.ac.il/SOC/besa/david.pdf |author=Steven R. David |title=Fatal Choices: Israel's Policy Of Targeted Killing |publisher=The Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies |date=September 2002 |accessdate=May 29, 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101116182446/http://www.biu.ac.il/SOC/besa/david.pdf |archivedate=November 16, 2010 |author-link=Steven R. David }}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i5lnAAAAMAAJ&q=assassination+%22targeted+killing%22|author=Rory Miller |title=Ireland and the Middle East: trade, society and peace |publisher=Irish Academic Press|isbn=978-0-7165-2868-5|date=2007 |accessdate=May 29, 2010}}[http://heinonlinebackup.com/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/urich37§ion=31 "Targeted Killing and Assassination: The U.S. Legal Framework"], Banks, William C., Raven-Hansen, Peter, 37 U. Rich. L. Rev. 667 (2002–03). Retrieved October 89, 2010. Former CIA operative Sam Wyman believed that method should only be used as a last resort.{{cite news| url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/an-eye-for-an-eye-20-11-2001/ | work=CBS News | title=An Eye For An Eye | date=November 20, 2001}} Barack Obama has ordered unmanned aerial vehicles to carry out targeted killing attacks on Taliban and al Qaeda leaders, which the U.S. distinguishes from assassinations,{{Cite journal | url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2010/0202/Obama-ups-Pakistan-drone-strikes-in-assassination-campaign | title=Obama ups Pakistan drone strikes in assassination campaign| journal=Christian Science Monitor| date=2010-02-02}} though this semantic is disputed by his critics.{{cite web|last1=Chomsky|first1=Noam|title=Noam Chomsky on the new Trump era|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB54XxbgI0E |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/jB54XxbgI0E |archive-date=2021-12-15 |url-status=live|website=Youtube|publisher=Al Jazeera Upfront|accessdate=2 December 2016}}{{cbignore}}

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