Tag: Anwar al-Awlaki

Fifteen years after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, America's War on Terror has expanded drastically, and with it, the interpretation of the Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF), which gave the president the initial power to mobilize US Armed Forces against those responsible. Yet, America is no closer to ending that open-ended war than when it began, and its endless state is prompting serious questions about the legality of the recent initiatives waged against ISIS, and whether safeguards are in place to prevent a single person—President Obama or his successors—from committing America to perpetual warfare.

"We have to condition the American people: This is going to go on for a long time. It’s terrible to say but that’s the reality. They’re not going to go away easy.”

Samir Khan, a purported al-Qaeda propagandist who spent his teenage years in Westbury, was killed in Yemen three years ago along with another U.S. citizen, Anwar Al-Awlaki, an alleged leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Among the many issues the president delved into Tuesday night were immigration, veterans affairs, climate change and gun control, all of which concern Long Islanders.