Just before President Obama made his public defense of the U.S. drone program, Attorney General Eric Holder sent a letter to Congress explaining that, since 2009, four Americans have been killed by U.S. drones and only one of them—Anwar al-Awlaki—was specifically targeted as a terrorist. The names of the other three had previously not been disclosed. Abdul Rahman al-Awlaki was Awlaki’s son, Samir Kahn the publisher of the Awlaki-edited Inspire magazine, and Jude Kenan Mohammed was one of the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted. In the letter, Holder clarifies that the decision to target Awlaki was “subjected to an exceptionally rigorous review” that was personally approved by Holder and other lawyers from the Justice Department.
