US Pentagon Claims It Can Identify Those Killed in Drone Strikes, but Congress Demands Proof.
The US Department of Defense has recently stated that it is certain about the identities of individuals killed in drone strikes on boats carrying narcotics to the United States. However, this claim appears to be at odds with previous statements from the military.
According to reports, Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson claimed during a press briefing that intelligence had confirmed who the people were on the boat. She stated that the information is so clear-cut that every single person killed in such strikes was a narcoterrorist. However, this statement has been met with skepticism from lawmakers.
Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., asked Wilson to present the evidence backing up her claims during a congressional hearing. The representative questioned how the military can be so certain about the identities of those killed in such strikes when officials have admitted that they do not know who was on the boat before the strike.
The US military has conducted 21 known attacks, destroying 22 boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September and killing at least 83 civilians. Critics argue that these actions amount to extrajudicial killings as the military is not permitted to deliberately target civilians, even suspected criminals.
The Pentagon's actions have been criticized by lawmakers from both parties who claim that such strikes are a breach of international law. The US war on drugs traditionally involves arresting suspected drug smugglers rather than using lethal force against them.
Critics of the current administration say that it is taking an increasingly authoritarian approach to addressing its problems, including ignoring court orders and using loyalists to run key military agencies.
The US Department of Defense has recently stated that it is certain about the identities of individuals killed in drone strikes on boats carrying narcotics to the United States. However, this claim appears to be at odds with previous statements from the military.
According to reports, Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson claimed during a press briefing that intelligence had confirmed who the people were on the boat. She stated that the information is so clear-cut that every single person killed in such strikes was a narcoterrorist. However, this statement has been met with skepticism from lawmakers.
Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., asked Wilson to present the evidence backing up her claims during a congressional hearing. The representative questioned how the military can be so certain about the identities of those killed in such strikes when officials have admitted that they do not know who was on the boat before the strike.
The US military has conducted 21 known attacks, destroying 22 boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September and killing at least 83 civilians. Critics argue that these actions amount to extrajudicial killings as the military is not permitted to deliberately target civilians, even suspected criminals.
The Pentagon's actions have been criticized by lawmakers from both parties who claim that such strikes are a breach of international law. The US war on drugs traditionally involves arresting suspected drug smugglers rather than using lethal force against them.
Critics of the current administration say that it is taking an increasingly authoritarian approach to addressing its problems, including ignoring court orders and using loyalists to run key military agencies.
... if they're so sure about who's on those boats, why didn't we know before? seems like just another case of hindsight is 20/20 
and now the whole thing's being swept under the rug... it's not right that they can just label everyone a narcoterrorist without any proof 
... gotta ask, what if they get one wrong? who's gonna be held accountable then? 
. those 83 people lost their lives, & that's a tragedy no matter what. let's try to have some empathy here 
and focus on finding better ways to address our problems rather than just throwing more ammo at it 
- i think the us pentagon should be transparent about who they're targeting. it's not just about narcoterrorists, there might be innocent people on those boats too. it's like a game of cat and mouse, but instead of a board, lives are at stake 
. i'm not saying the military doesn't need to take action against drug smugglers, but they gotta do it in a way that follows some basic human rights 
.
. if they're so sure about who's on those boats, why can't they show us? transparency would go a long way in rebuilding trust 
.
. And let's be real, the US war on drugs has been super flawed for years, and now we're taking it to a whole new level with these drone strikes? 
Not cool, if you ask me 
. I think they need to come clean about their methods and show some transparency on this one. Can't just claim to be targeting narcoterrorists without proof, that's just not how it works 
. And what really gets my goat is that we're seeing a breach of international law here... that's some serious red flag stuff 
.