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Group Says Pentagon's Plan Would Expand Its Enemy List
Pentagon planners are proposing that military commanders be authorized to declare someone an enemy combatant and detain
him if he belongs to any of hundreds of suspected terrorist organizations.
An enemy combatant? Even if
the weapons are just a rock, the intention is to main or kill. Stone throwers are classic examples of an attacker's
capability lagging behind his will to harm others. If this stone thrower had access to nuclear weapons, would he hurl them
at his adversaries without second thoughts? Thats anybody's guess! _____________________________
The extensive list of groups suspected of terrorism is part of a 142-page draft proposal to the Joint Chiefs of Staff
that is intended to provide an all-inclusive guide for military commanders on their obligations and authority for
detaining people.
John Sifton, a senior official of Human Rights Watch who provided the document, said it was a radical departure for the
government to assert that membership in such a broad range of groups could qualify a person to be deemed an enemy
combatant, a term that has previously been used mostly for members of Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
Story Credits New York Times
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