#Hegseth’s order, which has not been previously reported, adds another dimension to the campaign against suspected drug traffickers. Some current & former #US officials & #LawOfWar experts have said that the #Pentagon’s lethal campaign—which has killed more than 80 people to date—is #unlawful & may expose those most directly involved to future prosecution.
#Trump #criminal #law #murder #ExtrajudicialKillings #Carribean #Pacific #Venezuela #InternationalLaw #Constitution #Congress #WarPowers
The alleged traffickers pose no imminent threat of attack against the #US & are not, as the #Trump admin has tried to argue, in an “armed conflict” with the US, officials & experts say. Because there is no legitimate war between the 2 sides, killing any of the men in the boats “amounts to #murder,” said Todd Huntley, a former #military lawyer who advised Special Ops forces for 7 years at the height of the US counterterrorism campaign.
#criminal #law #ExtrajudicialKillings #Congress #WarPowers
Even if the #US were at #war with the traffickers, an order to kill all the boat’s occupants if they were no longer able to fight “would in essence be an order to show no quarter, which would be a #WarCrime,” said Huntley, now director of the #NationalSecurity #law program at Georgetown Law.
This report is based on interviews with & accounts from 7 people with knowledge of the Sept 2 strike & the overall op.
#criminal #murder #ExtrajudicialKillings #InternationalLaw #Congress #WarPowers
