To the Issue of Nonconcurrence of Definitions in a Context of Legitimization of Counterterrorism Operations

Abstract

This article addresses the issue of legitimizing some types of activities of states countering the terrorist threat originating from the territory of other states. In different documents equivalent actions are defined by diverse terms (political assassination, targeted liquidation, targeted elimination, execution without due process, extrajudicial execution), which creates significant difficulties in the process of coordinating the willpower of states in pursue of their national security objectives. In a number of cases, it is possible to eliminate the terminological inconsistency by determining the actions carried out by the armed forces in terms of international humanitarian law. In this case, some actions of the armed forces formations within the territory of failed states aimed at the elimination of key terrorist figures to be defined as «targeted killing». This solution facilitates the task of assigning of international responsibility.