On this day in 2011, an Obama-ordered, CIA drone strike killed 16 year-old Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, an American citizen, his teenage cousin, & 5 other civilians as they were eating at an outdoor cafe in Southern Yemen. 
Far from a threat to the US, his grandfather described Abdulrahman as "a typical teenager", who watched "the Simpsons", listened to Snoop Dogg, read “Harry Potter” and had a Facebook page with many friends. nytimes.com/2013/07/18/opi…
His grandfather described visiting the site of the strike, “I visited once I was able to bear the pain of seeing where he sat in his final moments. Local residents told me his body was blown to pieces. They showed me where they buried his remains. I stood over it, asking why..."
The US government has offered no explanation for why it targeted a Abdulrahman, and a lawsuit brought by his grandfather, like other lawsuits over drone deaths, has been dismissed by the US. reuters.com/article/usa-co…
Data shows that contrary to US rhetoric, drone strikes are anything but precise. They kill many more people than are targeted & criteria to be put on “kill list” is secret, arbitrary & relies on flawed intelligence.
See —> theguardian.com/us-news/2014/n…
& here—> democracynow.org/2015/10/16/dro…
See —> theguardian.com/us-news/2014/n…
& here—> democracynow.org/2015/10/16/dro…
Under Trump, the “Kill List” continues.
rollingstone.com/politics/polit…
rollingstone.com/politics/polit…
