Knowra Targeted killing Targeted killing Targeted killing is the intentional use of lethal force against a specifically identified person outside immediate combat between opposing forces. Its legality depends on the circumstances, including armed-conflict status, the target’s role, and the means used.
Target development : The process of identifying, locating, and assessing a person as a potential target. Intelligence and identification shape who is selected for a lethal operation.
Assassination : The deliberate killing of a prominent or specific person, usually for political or ideological reasons. Targeted killing overlaps with assassination but is often framed through state policy and armed-conflict law.
Assassination ban : A legal or policy prohibition on killing selected persons for political purposes. The boundary between prohibited assassination and permitted targeting is disputed.
Civilian casualties : Deaths or injuries among people who are not members of armed forces or organized armed groups. Misidentification and attack effects can harm civilians near an intended target.
Imminence in self-defense : The requirement that a threat be sufficiently near or immediate to justify defensive force. Governments disagree over how imminent a threat must be before a person may be targeted.
Kill chain : The sequence of finding, fixing, tracking, targeting, engaging, and assessing a target. It describes the operational steps between identifying a person and using force.
Political assassination : The killing of a political figure to influence government or public affairs. Historical examples shaped modern arguments about whether states may kill named adversaries.
Extrajudicial killing : A killing by state agents without legal process or authorization under applicable law. This category describes unlawful state killings, whereas targeted killing is not automatically unlawful.
Collateral damage : Incidental harm to civilians or civilian objects during an attack on a military target. It raises questions about proportionality and precautions in individual strikes.
Self-defense in international law : A state's claimed right to use force in response to an armed attack, subject to legal limits. Cross-border operations often rely on contested interpretations of this right.
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