Cameron faces legal challenge over Syria drone strikes

UK Prime Minister David Cameron faces the prospect of a legal challenge over the decision to target Islamic State terrorists in strife-torn Syria with drone strikes that killed two British militants, the first such action by Britain in a country it is not at war with.

Cameron had said in Parliament last month that a Royal Air Force (RAF) drone had killed two British-

born IS fighters in an attack near the city of Raqqa in an “act of <g data-gr-id="24">self defence</g>”.

The drone strike was the first such strike carried out by the UK in a country where it is not at war and prompted fierce criticism from human rights campaigners.

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas and party peer Jenny Jones have joined forces with human rights charity Reprieve to take the first step towards a judicial review of the decision, which did not have the backing of the British Parliament.

“The Raqqa strike, and the intention of the government to pre-authorise targeted killings in the future in countries where the UK is not at war, is of concern to the claimants and many others,” Lucas and Jones wrote in a pre-action legal letter to the defence secretary and attorney general.

“The concern is heightened by the lack of clarity about the circumstances in which the government reserves the right to kill British citizens outside of an armed conflict,” they add.

The letter says the government has stated the drone strike was justified due to “potential”, “direct”, “likely” or “imminent” threats to the UK, the Guardian reported.

“Such a lack of clarity as to the test which is being applied by the government in deciding whether to pre-authorise the targeted killing of British nationals or individuals overseas raises real and serious concerns over the lawfulness of the government’s past and expected resort to the use of lethal force,” it insists.