Former NSA official was already blowing the whistle earlier

[BjornF16]

In the case of combatants killed in a declared war with another sovereign nation, no. But this is not a declared war, and no charges were brought. He was not tried, even in absentia.

Lots of gray area here, but bending only creates more. What if he were an American Catholic fighting in Northern Ireland? Would he still be targeted as a terrorist?

There are literally thousands of Americans on the watch list, but none of us know if we are included.

But Congress did authorize military action against al Qaeda and it's operatives (Authorization for Use of Military Force against Terrorists, September 14, 2001). It has not expired. Al Qaeda was a declared hostile terrorist organization, a "non-state actor".

The US is not engaged in hostilities with al Qaeda (or the IRA for that matter) in Northern Ireland.