TARGETED KILLING: A JUSTIFIED ACT

Extrajudicial killings, or targeted killings as it is sometimes called, is the “deliberate, specific targeting and killing, by a government or its agents, of a supposed terrorist or of a supposed ‘unlawful combatant’ (i.e., one taking a direct part in hostilities in the context of an armed conflict) who is not in that government's custody” (“Targeted Killing”, Wikipedia). For years, targeted killings have been an integral part of modern warfare and in recent times has also integrated itself into the everyday law enforcement. An example of the former would be USA’s constant use of this as a central component of its counter-terrorism operations, and a perfect example of the latter would be its utilization by Bangladesh’s elite anti-crime force, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). The tactic, as a whole, has been coming under the hammer for a long time. It has been condemned by human rights organizations from all over the world as a “heinous” act that robs a human of his/her most basic right – the right to live. Yet what these critics fail to notice is that extrajudicial killings must sometimes be implemented as a necessary means, especially when all else fails. The rate of crime and terrorism in the present time has increased exponentially compared to what it was even 15 to 20 years back. There are literally hundreds of cold-blooded murders, rapes and genocides occurring at the very moment that these words were written, and desperate times call for desperate measures. Hence, extrajudicial killings, or targeted killings, are morally justified in certain occasions. These occasions include self-defense on the enforcers’ part, disorganization of criminal operations, and reduction of collateral damage.

The most important argument that o...

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