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A secret memo from the Justice Department that green light US air strikes on alleged “drug boats” This shows that the justification for such force is based solely on claims made by Donald Trump.
US Army has carried out a series of attacks Targeting so-called “narco-terrorists” with White House Criticized for not providing specific legal basis for its actions,
Attacks on small boats in the Caribbean began on September 2 Attacks have since expanded in the eastern Pacific, with at least 80 people killed in 20 attacks on alleged smuggling ships.
According to the memorandum, seen by the new York Times, Such attacks are justified by the idea that the US and its allies are currently in a state of armed conflict with legal drug cartels – a claim the White House has repeatedly made.
As a result, the killing of those suspected of running drugs falls within the legal scope of Trump’s wartime powers, the outlet said.
This is in contrast to human rights groups and international law experts who have warned that the attacks are illegal, with the governments of both Venezuela and Colombia accusing the Trump administration of engaging in extrajudicial killing.
On Tuesday Britain ended sharing regional intelligence with the US after expressing disapproval over its actions. US lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle have pressed the administration for more information about who is being targeted and the legal basis for its conduct.
Per many timesThe memo begins by repeating claims made by the White House, including that drug cartels are deliberately trying to destabilize what month is this And kill American citizens.
According to the outlet, the groups are presented as “terrorists” who sell drugs to finance violence against America rather than simply illegal businesses. Because of this, Trump has the authority to declare a state of armed conflict against the groups.
A long section at the end of the memorandum presents a legal defense, stating that any administration officials or soldiers charged over such killings would enjoy “battlefield immunity” due to the alleged state of armed conflict, many times Report.
Details about the rationale for administration military The intervention in Latin America comes as operations continue to ramp up. On Thursday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced that the ongoing effort to combat “narco-terrorists” will be officially known as Operation Southern Spear.
“President Trump ordered action – and the War Department is carrying it out,” the secretary wrote on Twitter.
Trump’s argument that the US is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels relies on the same legal authority that the George W. Bush administration used when declaring a “war on terrorism” following the September 11, 2001 al-Qaeda attacks.