ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines what is commonly characterized as the law of targeting. It deals specifically with the targeting of people, exploring the authority and limitations imposed by international humanitarian law on making individuals the deliberate object of attack with lethal force. The analysis discusses direct participation in hostilities, assessing what this means for civilians who engage in hostilities, either as individuals or as members of an organized armed group. The chapter then deals with the targeting of objects, places, or things a military commander may choose to subject to deliberate attack. The next part explains how international humanitarian law imposes obligations to mitigate the risk of inflicting incidental death or injury to civilians and/or collateral damage to civilian property. It addresses the requirement to implement all feasible precautionary measures, to refrain from launching any attack that is assessed as likely to produce an indiscriminate effect, and to cancel or suspend any attack if, during attack execution, it becomes apparent that the consequence of the attack will violate international humanitarian law. The chapter closes with miscellaneous issues associated with the conduct of hostilities, such as combat operations involving the use of drones, the function and impact of rules of engagement, and investigations into potential violations.
