All of the suspected drug boat killings are murders | Kenneth Roth

US Lawless Killings at Sea Under Trump's Aegis

In a shocking turn of events, Washington has found its voice over the Trump administration's deadly policy towards suspected drug runners. The Republican-dominated Congress was eerily silent while Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the killing of dozens of people at sea without so much as a trial. But when a double-tap strike on September 2nd killed nine people, including two survivors who were clinging to the wreckage of their destroyed boat, even the most timid voices began to speak out.

Two US military personnel involved in the operation have since come forward questioning the rationale behind their actions. Admiral Frank "Mitch" Bradley admitted that the two men still alive after the initial strike could not have been trying to radio their comrades on board. Instead, they were barely clinging to life and posed no threat to anyone.

The Pentagon's claims of self-defense were flimsy at best. It was alleged that the two survivors might have still contained cocaine in the boat, which is simply not true given that the stricken vessel had already sunk. The fact remains: these individuals were hors de combat – outside the fight – and could not be summarily executed under international law.

Critics point out that this kind of behavior has no place in a non-war situation. In other words, if we're talking about interdiction operations by law enforcement rather than an armed conflict with organized forces, there is always an obligation to use proportionate force and not exceed the limits set by international human rights law.

Under Trump's leadership, American values are being sacrificed on the altar of expediency. By invoking an 'armed conflict' that never existed, the president avoided accountability for his policies. Now it seems he has a new target: anyone deemed to be 'enemies'.

Critics warn that the far-reaching consequences of such a policy can only serve to erode human rights worldwide. If leaders like Trump feel they have the right to make life-or-death decisions without any checks, they may unleash terror on innocent bystanders in their own country and abroad.

The US government's silence over these events has left many to wonder what drove Washington to go along with such extreme measures. Can anything be done now to bring about accountability for these atrocities committed under the Trump administration?

I'm super concerned about this , guys. The fact that these people were just trying to survive and yet they got gunned down by the military without so much as a trial is just wrong. I mean, come on, if you're in a situation where you're clinging to life, who's gonna try to hurt you? It's just basic human decency .

And what really gets my goat is that the Pentagon was trying to spin this whole thing as self-defense when it was clear they were just trying to cover their own backsides . I mean, if those two guys weren't even in a position to send out distress signals, how could they be considered a threat?

It's also pretty scary when you think about the broader implications of this kind of policy . If leaders start thinking they can just make life-or-death decisions without any accountability, that's a recipe for disaster. We need to hold people in power accountable for their actions and make sure that we're not sacrificing our values on the altar of expediency .

I'm really worried about this whole thing . I mean, we're supposed to be a country that values human rights and upholds the law, but it seems like we're throwing all those principles out the window when it comes to dealing with suspects who are just trying to cross the border or make a living on the high seas.

I get that there are dangers out there, but killing people without even trying to find out what's going on? That's not right. It's like we're operating in a war zone instead of a place where people are just trying to survive.

And what really gets me is that it was only when someone got hurt and the story started getting attention that we're talking about this. If two people were clinging to life, they couldn't have been a threat to anyone. It's like we're looking for excuses to justify actions that are already morally questionable.

We need to be better than this as a country. We need to start taking responsibility for our actions and holding our leaders accountable when they mess up. This kind of thing can't just go on forever without consequences .

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this whole thing... I mean, come on! You're killing people at sea without a trial? That's just not right, you know? It's like, if you're caught smuggling or something, okay fine, but kill them in cold blood? No way, that's not how it works. And to make matters worse, the Pentagon was basically making up excuses after the fact, saying they were under attack and all that jazz...

It's just so disturbing to think about what kind of message this sends out to the world. Like, if Trump can just declare himself a warlord or whatever and start killing people willy-nilly, who's gonna stop him? It's like, accountability is one thing, but this whole 'do as I say, or else' attitude is just not cool, you know?

I mean, we've got to stand up for these two guys who survived the attack, because if they were in your shoes, would you want people out there deciding your fate without a trial? And what about all those innocent bystanders who might get caught in the crossfire? It's just not right.

We need some serious oversight and accountability here... maybe Congress needs to step up their game and start holding Trump accountable for his actions. We can't let this kind of behavior slide, or else we're going to create a whole new era of lawlessness in America

I'm so worried about this US policy . It's like, you gotta follow some basic rules when it comes to people's lives, right? If there's a boat full of guys who are basically drowning and can't even call for help because their phones are dead... how can just shooting them be seen as okay?

It sounds crazy to me that these two guys were still alive after the first explosion but somehow got hit again. That's just not fair . And what about all those people who might get hurt or killed in some random situation just because someone in power thinks they're a 'threat' without even looking at the facts? It's just not right .

Can't we have laws that are more about keeping everyone safe and less about letting leaders make up their own rules on the fly?

omg this is wild!! like literally the US just started killing people at sea without a trial and no one's saying squat about it?!?! and now these 2 soldiers are coming forward like "hey guys we didn't need to do that" but still trump's all over it and basically says he's above the law international law is literally just a suggestion for him lol. and honestly how many more innocent people gotta die before we start calling out trump on this?! we can't let america values go down the drain like this its getting scary

I think it's a total non-issue... I mean, who really cares if some people got killed at sea by the US military? It's just another example of how America does what it wants, no questions asked . The fact that two soldiers are now questioning their actions is basically irrelevant – they're just trying to save face after getting caught up in a policy they didn't agree with. And let's be real, if the US government says something like this happened under Trump's watch, it probably did... but who needs facts when you've got power and a PR team? The media is just too busy trying to get scoops and ratings instead of doing some actual reporting. It's all about perception vs reality, folks.

This is insane!!! They just killed people in the middle of the ocean and are trying to justify it by saying they were in an 'armed conflict'? Come on! The fact that two guys could still be alive after a double-tap strike and not even have any cocaine on them is a big red flag. It's like, what kind of monster does this? And the Pentagon's explanation sounds super sketchy too... like they're making it up as they go along

I don't get why Trump thought he could just do whatever he wants and not face any consequences. He's basically saying that human rights are optional now? That's so not American of him. And the worst part is that this kind of behavior sets a bad precedent for other countries to follow. We need some serious accountability here, like, pronto!

I'm lowkey livid about this . I mean, we're talking about US citizens being killed at sea without a trial, and it's not even like they were armed or anything! The Pentagon's excuse is straight out of a bad cop movie - 'self-defense' =/= killing people who can't defend themselves . And what really gets me is that the government is basically saying that if you're just trying to survive on the ocean, you're an enemy now? That's not how it works .

And let's be real, this is all about Trump being a power-hungry dictator who doesn't care about human rights as long as he gets his way . If we don't speak out against this kind of behavior, who will? We need to hold our leaders accountable for their actions and make sure that something like this never happens again .

omg u gotta believe wut's happenin across the pond !! trump's regime is like totally disregarding human rights and it's so not cool . i mean, who needs a trial when u can just shoot people in the sea? and now these 2 us military ppl are coming forward saying they were all confused & didn't think the 2 survivors could've been a threat... like what even is going on over there? it's so messed up. i feel bad for the fams of those who got killed or injured . i hope somethin gets done about this ASAP 'cause if trump keeps goin down this path, it's gonna be super problematic worldwide

this is insane what's going on in the US right now, like they're just making up rules as they go along and getting away with it . I mean, two guys were literally clinging to life and you're gonna kill them because of some unsubstantiated claims? That doesn't even make sense! And what's with this "armed conflict" nonsense? They can't just pick a fight with whoever they want and expect to get away with it . It's like they think the world revolves around Trump and his ego . The fact that two military personnel are now questioning their actions shows me there's some serious accountability lacking over here . We need to hold our leaders accountable for this kind of behavior, or else we're gonna see a lot more innocent people get hurt .

I'm really worried about this, guys... Like, how can a country that prides itself on democracy and human rights just basically start killing people at sea without so much as a trial? It's crazy! I mean, those two survivors were clearly in distress and couldn't even radio their friends for help. And now it sounds like the Pentagon was trying to cover up some pretty dodgy stuff...

I don't think we're seeing the full picture here - have there been any investigations into these killings? It seems like no one's being held accountable, not even Trump himself... which is just wild given all the drama he made about "law and order" during his campaign.

We need to know what's going on behind closed doors, and we need to hold our leaders accountable for their actions. Can't let them get away with this kind of thing without some serious pushback...

Come on , can't we get a decent discussion going around here without all the drama and sensationalism? I mean, I'm not saying it's okay what happened out at sea, but let's focus on the facts. It sounds like some pretty sketchy stuff went down and we should be calling for investigations, not just throwing Trump under the bus . And another thing, can we please stop talking about "American values" like they're a monolith or something? The world is full of gray areas and complex issues, let's try to approach this with some nuance .

I'm low-key shocked that no one brought this up sooner, you feel? I've got a source close to the military and they're saying that Trump's got some serious skeletons in his closet when it comes to his treatment of non-citizen casualties. Like, these people weren't even trying to hurt anyone, just surviving in the water... it's like we're back in the days of drone strikes gone wrong . The fact that Pentagon is just brushing this off and not addressing the issue is wild. Trump's always been all about playing hardball, but this takes the cake

So, who needs human rights or due process when you've got an "armed conflict" to justify it? It's not like they were just fishing and got caught in the crossfire. The whole thing reeks of a botched op with no regard for civilian casualties. I mean, what's next? Executing people who accidentally float into our airspace?

I am literally shaking with rage right now , thinking about those two survivors clinging to their boat after it got destroyed and then being killed by the US military... it's just insane! The fact that they didn't even try to radio anyone else on board and were basically begging for help is just devastating. And the Pentagon's explanation of self-defense? Give me a break , it's like they made up some story just to cover their own butt.

And what really gets my goat is that this kind of thing happened under Trump's watch, with complete impunity . It's like he thinks he can just ignore the laws and international human rights or something? Newsflash, Donald: your brand of lawlessness has consequences!

I'm so done with politicians who think they're above accountability and get to decide who lives and dies without any oversight . The US government needs to step up and take responsibility for this atrocity... it's the least we deserve after what happened .

omg what a crazy situation i dont get why its only now that people are talking about this and like 2 ppl came forward questioning their actions... didnt anyone see or hear anything weird about it? btw have u seen that new movie with Chris Hemsworth where he plays an Aussie spy? sounds so exciting

The whole situation is seriously unsettling, you know? I mean, how can we even justify killing people at sea without so much as a trial? It's just basic human decency, right? And to make matters worse, the Pentagon's excuse about self-defense was total BS. Like, come on, those two survivors were literally clinging to life... it's not like they posed any threat whatsoever. This is a huge deal because if we let this kind of behavior slide, it sets a really bad precedent for human rights worldwide. We're talking global implications here. It's just crazy that the US government has been so quiet about this whole thing. Shouldn't there be some accountability for actions like these?

Man, this is just soooo disturbing I keep thinking about those two people who were clinging to life and thought they'd be killed by the military... it's like, what even is that?! They couldn't have been trying to radio their crew, but no one cared, right? It's like the US government was just going along with whatever Trump said, without thinking about the human cost. That's some messed up stuff And now people are warning that this kind of thing could lead to even more atrocities happening all over the world... it's just heartbreaking

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this , but it sounds like the US is doing some pretty questionable stuff out there at sea. I mean, if those two guys were just trying to survive and didn't even have any more coke on their boat, then what's the point of killing them? It's all so... extreme .

And can you believe they're saying it was self-defense? Like, that doesn't add up at all. And now the Pentagon is just brushing it off like nothing happened? It's so weird .

I don't think this kind of behavior is ever okay, whether it's in a war situation or not. I mean, what's next? Are they gonna start killing people who aren't even trying to hurt anyone?

It's just so sad that Trump is leading the country down this path. It feels like he's more concerned with getting away with stuff than actually doing what's right. And now you're worried about him targeting innocent people at home and abroad? That's a scary thought .

Can we get some answers on this? Like, what's going on behind closed doors in Washington that's making them okay with this kind of thing?