MSNBC Host Gives Staunch Defense Of Drone Strikes And Civilian Casualties

Touré, co-host of The Cycle on MSNBC, took a hard line in favor of drones today.

The longtime music journalist and cultural critic defended the U.S. drone war and civilian casualties caused by drone strikes, saying that civilians are killed during all wars.

"I know war crimes may have been committed via our drone program, but I am pro killing al-Qaeda leaders via drones — even if they are American citizens."

Touré goes on to defend the death of the 16-year-old American-born son of former Al-Qaeda propagandist Anwar al-Awlaki, saying that "there is much evidence that he was not targeted, but standing too near an al-Qaeda official ... who was targeted."

All-in-all Touré seems OK with giving the president carte blanche to bomb suspected terrorists (along with whomever happens to be nearby) during what he describes as an "endless post-geographical war against a fluent enemy."

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The whole segment places him in opposition to targeted killing critics — such as the American Civil Liberties Union — who question the moral and legal footing of bombing suspected terrorists while remaining silent on civilian casualties.

Among the sources critics cite are the UN Human Rights Committee, which specifically noted that states must “not use ‘targeted killings’ as a deterrent or punishment,” and international law scholars who have noticed serious flaws in the Obama administration's leaked legal justification for killing U.S. citizens abroad.