Introduction
Even though the beginning of Operation Geronimo is connected with particular controversy, it is the legally justified decision of the American President. In 2011, Barack Obama, the head of the state at that moment, ordered to start Operation Geronimo to execute Osama bin Laden, the current leader of the terrorist group Al Qaeda (Pašagić, 2020). He was responsible for the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers on September 11, which was the reason for the active response of the United States (Pašagić, 2020). Therefore, Operation Geronimo was the adequate response of the United States to the danger Al Qaeda posed to its security, which made the decision of Barack Obama legal. The primary concern in the critique of the legal status of Operation Geronimo is connected with the execution of an unarmed person, which is prohibited by the laws of the United States. According to the report, Osama bin Laden was unarmed when he was killed, which makes the operation controversial from an ethical point of view (Sinai, 2021). In all cases, Barack Obama had the legal right to execute Operation Geronimo because he protected the domestic security of the United States.
Discussion
The first reason that decides Barack Obama started Operation Geronimo was the threat to American national security from Al Qaeda in general and its leader Asama bin Laden in particular. Politicians and researchers agree that bin Laden was responsible for the terrorist attack on 9/11, which was the profound reason for the radical actions of the American government (Pašagić, 2020). He was the person who inspired Islamic terrorists and supported their hatred of the American nation (Hutchins, 2017). As a result, the actions of the American government and the decision of President Obama allowed the country to prevent other cases of mass assassination during potential terrorist attacks (Sinai, 2021). It states that the order of Barack Obama to execute Operation Geronimo corresponded to the political and military context, which makes it legally justified.
From the formal point of view, the execution of Operation Geronimo was legal and corresponded to the principles of the American military. Therefore, there are no legal controversies from this perspective that can be applied to the decision of President Obama. The order that the group of officers received was to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, regarded as the terrorist number one in the world. Even though there is a note in the military laws that it is not legal to kill unarmed individuals who want to surrender, there are no proofs that Osama bin Laden truly wanted to do it (Hutchins, 2017). There were other armed men in the house where the leader of Al Qaeda resided at that moment, and all of them tried to fight the group of American soldiers (Pašagić, 2020). This information shows that the situation of capturing Osama bin Laden was critical, and the American soldiers had to make quick decisions on the spot. All men that lived with Osama bin Laden in the house tried to protect him, and there was no chance that the leader of the terrorist organization would surrender to the United States.
The official report about Operation Geronimo shows that there were many weapons in the same room as Osama bin Laden. As a result, he had the opportunity to seize them and use them against the American soldiers who were engaged in this operation. For example, he had the AKS-74U carbon and the Makarov pistol that he could easily reach if one of the American officers would not kill him at the stop s (Pašagić, 2020). This data shows that Osama bin Laden was not an unarmed civil person who wanted to surrender. It is the adequate reason for the radical actions of the American soldiers whose lives and the goal of the military operation were put at risk. It allows us to assume that the order Barack Obama gave to execute Osama bin Laden during the mission was the legally foregrounded solution in this case.
The third reason President Obama’s decision is legally adequate is the choice of the optimal place and time for executing Operation Geronimo. The American specialists, including the military officers and the CIA, found the moment when the leader of Al Qaeda was in a comparatively unprotected house that was alienated from the cities. According to the investigation, bin Laden used to reside in the underground bunker most time, and the American officials had to throw 910 kg bombs to destroy this place. No need to say that the explosion would destroy the houses nearby and many civilians would be killed or injured, which was unacceptable (Pašagić, 2020). This data shows that the decision of Barack Obama to start Operation Geronimo at the moment was humanistic and justified both from legal and ethical points of view.
In addition, the American officers responsible for executing the plan during Operation Geronimo were highly professional, which ensured a positive outcome. All of them had the necessary experience in the region, which meant that they knew the language and the way of life in the area. They could reach the place where Osama bin Laden lived without attracting unnecessary attention from the local population, which allowed them to minimize all possible losses among civilians. They were the skilled group from the American Red Squadron who had previously served in Pakistan and Afghanistan (Pašagić, 2020). These details illustrate the idea that the American government in general and Barack Obama, in particular, were cautious in executing the plan, which makes Operation Geronimo legally justified. The American officials made everything possible to execute the plan of killing the leader of the terrorist organization without harming other people.
Conclusion
To conclude, the decision of President Obama concerning the execution of Operation Geronimo was legally justified. The facts show that Osama bin Laden would not surrender peacefully to the American soldiers, which endangered the mission results. Therefore, they had the right to kill the leader of the terrorist organization without giving him the chance to seize the weapons that were available in the same room. In addition, the plan details aimed at minimizing potential civilian victims. The primary issue that decides Barack Obama legally justified is the pursuit of the national interests and the preservation of American national security endangered by Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda. Therefore, all actions during the execution of Operation Geronimo were guided by the principles of preserving the national security of the United States and corresponded to the laws of the United States. It makes the decision of President Obama and the way the plan was implemented in practice adequate and consistent with all legal aspects.
References
Hutchins, R. (2017). Islam and suicide terrorism: Separating fact from fiction. Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses, 9(11), 7–11. Web.
Pašagić, A. (2020). Failed states and terrorism: Justifiability of transnational interventions from a counterterrorism perspective. Perspectives on Terrorism, 14(3), 19–28. Web.
Sinai, J. (2021). Review of the rise and fall of Osama bin Laden. Perspectives on Terrorism, 15(5), 93–93. Web.