This morning CNN said the new US policy with regard to Iranian operatives in Iraq was "shoot to kill". It replaced "catch and release". I am puzzled by this.
In a gun battle how does one identify Iranians? Do they wear a sign? Doesn't one shoot to kill under such circumstances anyway? And if an Iranian is found in a non-violent situation, like walking down the street, or in a raid where the persons captured were not engaged in violence at the time, is it our intention to shoot them in cold blood on the spot? Guantanamo isn't bad enough? We now "shoot to kill" in non-violent situations? Someone please explain.
How do we know if the captured Iranians are ordinary citizens or operatives? How do we even know if they are Iranians; do they carry a passport? We can't speak the language. And if we could or if we used an interpreter, how would we be able to identify the bad guys? 70% of the people incarcerated in Abu Graib were falsely imprisoned.
This "shoot to kill" order for Iranian operatives sounds as reasonable as the idea to go into Iraq in the first place.