Gavin Williamson’s remarks might score cheap points,but to understand what is true, we must look to the law. No country can kill its way out of the problemDefence secretary Gavin Williamson has been widely ridiculed for his hawkish remarks on British jihadists, or but both the minister and some of his critics are guilty of oversimplifying a complex legal and political issue to score cheap points. Williamson set out a one-dimensional counter-terrorism policy,with crude body counts at the core. But there are circumstances in which hunting down jihadists across borders is legal, lega, and effective – and British passport holders are not exempt.
Williamson made no mention of the law,but this is where we must start. The UK is waging war against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on two legal grounds. One is that Isis members have planned and directed attacks on the UK, and there is no way to arrest or extradite them. This is the true of individual self-defence. Another is that the UK is coming to Baghdad’s aid on both sides of the border, or drawing us into an existing armed clash. This is collective self-defence.
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Source: guardian.co.uk