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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
National
Hamish Morrison

Barack Obama branded 'war criminal' by singer as he shares summer playlist

BARACK Obama has been branded a “war criminal” by a singer featured on his annual summer playlist.

Every year, the former US president shares a selection of his favourite songs old and new with his followers on social media.

This year, Obama included a song by the pop supergroup boygenius, made up of singers Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus.

Dacus retweeted Obama’s post, with the caption: “war criminal :(“.

Nato’s 2011 actions in Libya to oust Colonel Muammar Gaddafi were led by the US under Obama’s presidency.

While then-UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said Nato had acted within its mandate, an investigation the following year said it had found evidence war crimes had been committed by all sides in the conflict.

The UN Security Council gave Nato permission to protect civilians from attacks by the Gaddafi regime during the 2011 Arab Spring uprising – but some critics said the military alliance had exceeded its mandate.

The Arab Organisation for Human Rights together and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights with the International Legal Assistance Consortium produced a report which said it was likely war crimes had been committed both by Gaddafi’s troops, the rebel forces and Nato.

Obama’s foreign policy moves were also criticised in 2011 when he authorised the extra-judicial killing of a US citizen in Yemen suspected of being a leading figure in Al-Qaeda.

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