EvBO: Evidence-Based Operations. How to remove the bad guys from the battlefield

In the final years of the military operations in Iraq, the US armed forces were only allowed to arrest people on the basis of an Iraqi arrest warrant. To ensure that this process ran as smoothly as possible, the concept of Warrant-Based Targeting was introduced. This concept was adapted to the local circumstances in Afghanistan and renamed Evidence-Based Operations (EvBO) as part of Rule of Law activities. This concept entails that military operations have to be conducted in accordance with Afghan law and that military personnel are expected to collect evidence that can be used in Afghan criminal proceedings. Based on international literature but above all military practice and experience this article explores EvBO as reference for future military operations that may require foreign forces to transfer detainees to the host nation for criminal prosecution.