Another US strike in Caribbean targets alleged drug-running boat, killing 6, Hegseth says

[demmiblue]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday that the U.S. military conducted its 10th strike on a vessel suspected of carrying drugs overnight, killing six people and bringing the death toll of the campaign against drug cartels to at least 46 people.

In a post to social media, Hegseth said that the vessel was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang and the strike occurred in the Caribbean.

The pace of the strikes has quickened in recent days from one every few weeks in September when they first began to three in one week now. Two of the strikes this week were also carried out in the eastern Pacific, expanding the area in which the military was willing to conduct the strikes.

In a 20-second black and white video of the strike that was posted to social media, a small boat can be seen apparently sitting motionless on the water when a long thin projectile descends on it resulting in an explosion. The video ends before the explosion dies down enough for the remains of the boat to become visible again.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/trump-cartels-hegseth-drugs-boat-strikes-6c3316b2852723e26c39dc701bba9d52

[usonian]

1. Trump: We don't want to be the policemen of the world BY BRETT SAMUELS - 04/30/18

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=20729427

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/385521-trump-we-dont-want-to-be-the-policemen-of-the-world/

President Trump on Monday said the U.S. should no longer serve as the “policemen of the world.”

“We more and more are not wanting to be the policemen of the world,” Trump said during a joint press conference with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari.

“We’re spending tremendous amounts of money for decades policing the world, and that shouldn’t be the priority,” he said. “We want to police ourselves and we want to rebuild our country. And the president understands that.”{mosads}

Trump ran on the promise that he would extricate the U.S. from foreign wars.

And release the Epstein files (2024) ?

It's called HYPOCRISY.

[luv2fly]

2. I've never been so disgusted to be an American. n/t

[groundloop]

3. I'm trying to figure out what to tell people when I'm traveling when they ask where I'm from.

It's hard to believe how fast this country has gone to hell. It wasn't that long ago that I was proud to be an American, we had finally started to turn the corner on racism (or so I thought) and elected a highly qualified black man as President. That's all gone to hell.

[travelingthrulife]

4. Murderers.

[kacekwl]

5. There has to be a court somewhere

that can stop this clearly illegal and unconstitutional murder. What has happened to America ?

[William Seger]

6. US commander overseeing fatal strikes against alleged drug boats off Venezuela will retire

https://apnews.com/article/alvin-holsey-southern-command-boat-strikes-venezuela-7cf34c822b56945129baf7f0d2635f95

The Navy admiral who oversees military operations in the region where U.S. forces have been attacking alleged drug boats off Venezuela will retire in December, he and the Defense Secretary announced Thursday.

Adm. Alvin Holsey became the leader of U.S. Southern Command only in November, overseeing an area that encompasses the Caribbean Sea and waters off South America. These types of postings typically last between three and four years.

The news of Holsey’s upcoming retirement comes two days after the U.S. military’s fifth deadly strike in the Caribbean against a small boat accused of carrying drugs. The Trump administration has asserted it’s treating alleged drug traffickers as unlawful combatants who must be met with military force.

...

Holsey said in a statement posted on the command’s Facebook page that it’s “been an honor to serve our nation, the American people and support and defend our Constitution for over 37 years.”

Then why, Adm. Alvin Holsey, do you dishonor our nation, the American people, and the Constitution with "extrajudicial executions" (a.k.a. murders). You will retire in disgrace, the stench of your actions will follow you to your grave, and any decent descendants will be ashamed of kinship with you.

[James48]

7. Extrajudicial Murder.

Clean and simple.

[Solly Mack]

8. ...

[Ray Bruns]

9. Someday all this extrajudicial killing is going to come back at us.

And that will be a very bloody day indeed.

[republianmushroom]

10. Shame

[riversedge]

11. It seems Hegseth's main job is annoucing how many people were killed in boats by our Marines.

[angrychair]

12. If you want proof

On who's side the military is on than this is it.

Our military has shown it's willingness to kill innocent civilians over and over and over again.

The military is not on our side.

[twodogsbarking]

13. It's murder. Why don't they call it that.

[Bayard]

14. More Dems in Congress need to be calling it that

trump claims its a, "war on drugs," then it needs to have Congressional approval for declaring war. One more power that he's usurped for himself.

[wolfie001]

15. I'm surprised they're even counting the numbers of the murdered

GWB STOPPED counting civilian deaths in the 2003 invasion. republiCONS are always brutally incompetent. It's a feature not an error.

[kimbutgar]

16. Those boats should stay on shore and not go out and deprive Hegseth of being able to publicize strikes.

Wait until a cruise ship is bombed when they can’t find any fishing boats. You know it could happen with these idiots.

[LudwigPastorius]

17. A dozen here...a dozen there...

This will not quench Trump's bloodlust.