Assassination of Terrorist Leaders

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Hey everyone. As most of you probably already know, the leader of Islamic State, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, was assassinated by US forces in recent days. This has me wondering about the morality of such assassinations. I assumed they are moral but a Catholic friend of mine says they are not. Therefore, I decided to ask all of you. Is it moral or immoral when a terrorist leader is assassinated?
 
As I understand Catholic morality such a killing is justified in a ‘just war’ provided any collateral damage (innocent people killed or hurt) is minimised. That’s because the target is at war with those fighting a just war. Other past actions, such as the attack on Gaddafi’s home in the 1980s when there was no war, and the atomic bomb attacks on Japan in which the civilian casualties were enormous, would not have been justified under Catholic teaching.
 
The man posed and active and immediate danger to the entire world through his support and leadership of a terrorist organization. While a peaceful solution would be preferable, it is morally licit to kill someone who poses such a severe danger like this.
 
We have a duty to defend ourselves so assassinating someone who would mass kill every one of us if he could is self defense.
 
Holly3278 said:
Hey everyone. As most of you probably already know, the leader of Islamic State, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, was assassinated by US forces in recent days. This has me wondering about the morality of such assassinations. I assumed they are moral but a Catholic friend of mine says they are not. Therefore, I decided to ask all of you. Is it moral or immoral when a terrorist leader is assassinated?
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He was not assassinated…he was an active combative militant who we tried to apprehend and instead blew himself up and three of his children.

War is hell…he chose to be a brutal genocidal combatant who is responsible for untold amounts of torture and rape and death. Killing men, women children, the elderly the infants…He actively recruited young men to further his jihad, or military campaign if you will…ask the Yazidi’s what they think if you can find any he didn’t kill. Or look at the videos of all the men lined up on the beach and beheaded on videotape. Or the pilots he had put in a cage and burned to death. Look up how he slew even other Muslims.

This was a military operation, not a covert assassination.

From Websters.

assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives. dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death. execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty

He was not assassinated, he chose to kill himself instead of facing a tribunal for his crimes…so do not spin it as if we were somehow circumventing rules of engagement by using the world assassinate.

As a Marine the saying is, you play you pay…he chose to end himself.
 
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Terrorists, like pirates, are enemies of mankind. Waging war against them is prima facie a just cause.
 
Would you point me to that teaching in the doctrines of the Faith?
 
To answer the OP.'s question: NO

however, because God takes no pleasure in the death of a sinner (see Ez chapters 18 and 33), those rejoicing and gloating in the death of this man (“He died like a dog…whimpered, cried, and screamed”, et al) is if not immoral or even sinful, a horrible example for any Christian to follow.
 
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Moral.
He made his choices of his own free will.
His extermination saved countless innocent lives.
 
Assassinated? No, he committed suicide by hitting the switch on the explosive vest he was wearing. But it really does not matter how his end came about, he was a legitimate military target in the war which we are now fighting and a bullet to the head would have been both legal and moral. The man was responsible for numerous rapes, and heinous executions including burning people to death and slitting their throats. I say good riddance, he is God’s to deal with now.
 
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DIERM said:
To answer the OP.'s question: NO

however, because God takes no pleasure in the death of a sinner (see Ez chapters 18 and 33), those rejoicing and gloating in the death of this man (“He died like a dog…whimpered, cried, and screamed”, et al) is if not immoral or even sinful, a horrible example for any Christian to follow.
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Cal me a horrible Catholic then…the truth was presented…he not only died like a dog, killing himself but killing three children he drug with him.
Evil…pure evil…pray for his soul, but not his demise.

Maybe it’s the soldier in me, and in my family’s military lineage…but when you join the military in a front line MOS you better make peace with killing your enemy quick, lest you and your buddies pay the price. Sure there are some who may take delight in it, but others like myself who afterwards would go to Church and speak with God…to unburden my heart and look for strength

In boot camp it was driven in our heads at Parris Island…

What makes the grass grow? Blood sir! Kill! Kill Kill…that is the hard truth.

It’s a hard world, and with this animal, who did die like a whimpering dog gone it is just a little safer.

The truly sad thing, he will be like a weed…another will sprout to take his place usurping the peaceful teachings of Islam in favor of death and destruction of infidels…he will be viewed as a martyr and this whole atrocity of killing will continue…just as it has since Sarai threw Hagar and Ishmael into the wild…

11 The angel of the Lord also said to her:
“You are now pregnant
and you will give birth to a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
12 He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward all his brothers.”
 
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What “assassination”? He blew himself up. He committed suicide, murdering three children (his own children? not sure about that) at the same time.
 
BlueMaxx said:
11 The angel of the Lord also said to her:
“You are now pregnant
and you will give birth to a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
12 He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward all his brothers.”
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Huh? Not sure what this has to do with the topic
 
Holly3278 said:
Hey everyone. As most of you probably already know, the leader of Islamic State, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, was assassinated by US forces in recent days.
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Several posters have pointed out your mistake. Nobody “assassinated” him. What, exactly, are you implying about the circumstances of his death?
 
BlueMaxx said:
It is thought that Mohamed is a descendant of Ishmael…
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Mohamed was assassinated? Still don’t see the connection between this thread and Mohamed and Ishmael…seems like apples and oranges.
 
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DIERM said:
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BlueMaxx:
It is thought that Mohamed is a descendant of Ishmael…
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Mohamed was assassinated? Still don’t see the connection between this thread and Mohamed and Ishmael…seems like apples and oranges.
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