3 months ago
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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The U.S. subject has carried retired different lethal onslaught connected alleged cause smugglers successful the Caribbean Sea, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Saturday.
Hegseth successful a societal media posting said the vas was operated by a U.S.-designated violent enactment but did not sanction which radical was targeted. He said 3 radical were killed successful the strike.
It's astatine slightest the 15th specified onslaught carried retired by the U.S. subject successful the Caribbean oregon eastbound Pacific since aboriginal September.
“This vessel—like EVERY OTHER—was known by our quality to beryllium progressive successful illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting on a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics,” Hegseth said successful a posting connected X.
The U.S. subject has present killed astatine slightest 64 radical successful the strikes.
Trump has justified the attacks arsenic a indispensable escalation to stem the travel of drugs into the United States. He has asserted the U.S. is engaged successful an “armed conflict” with cause cartels, relying connected the aforesaid ineligible authorization utilized by the Bush medication erstwhile it declared a warfare connected coercion aft the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
U.S. lawmakers person been repeatedly rebuffed by the White House successful their request that the medication merchandise much accusation astir the ineligible justification for the strikes arsenic good arsenic greater details astir which cartels person been targeted and the individuals killed.
Hegseth successful his Saturday posting announcing the latest onslaught said “narco-terrorists are bringing drugs to our shores to poison Americans astatine home” and the Defense Department "will dainty them EXACTLY however we treated Al-Qaeda.”
Senate Democrats renewed their petition for much accusation astir the strikes successful a missive connected Friday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Hegseth.
“We besides petition that you supply each ineligible opinions related to these strikes and a database of the groups oregon different entities the President has deemed targetable,” the senators wrote.
Among those signing the missive were Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer arsenic good arsenic Sens. Jack Reed, Jeanne Shaheen, Mark Warner, Chris Coons, Patty Murray and Brian Schatz.
The missive says that frankincense acold the medication “has selectively shared what has astatine times been contradictory information” with immoderate members, “while excluding others.”
Earlier Friday, the Republican president and ranking Democrat connected the Senate Armed Services Committee released a brace of letters sent to Hegseth written successful precocious September and aboriginal October requesting the department’s ineligible rationale for the strikes and the database of cause cartels that the Trump medication has designated arsenic violent organizations successful its justification for the usage of subject force.
