The United Nations' human rights chief, Volker Türk, has harshly condemned the US military's strikes on alleged drug boats in the Eastern Pacific, describing them as "unacceptable" and citing a lack of justification under international law.
The recent destruction of a boat carrying four people who were killed has raised concerns about the administration's approach to combatting narcotics trafficking. The Trump administration has admitted that it doesn't know who is on these boats and doesn't see it as necessary to identify individuals, with Pentagon officials stating that they only need to positively identify individuals in order to conduct strikes.
However, Türk disagrees, stating that "there's nothing that we heard in there that changes my assessment that this is completely illegal". He also noted that even if Congress authorized such operations, it would still be unlawful due to the absence of evidence and extrajudicial killings.
Türk has called for an immediate and independent investigation into the attacks, citing the fact that "the intentional use of lethal force is only permissible as a last resort against individuals who pose an imminent threat to life". The UN human rights chief also emphasized that the US must halt such attacks and take measures to prevent extrajudicial killings.
The mounting human cost of these strikes has led to widespread concern, particularly in the Caribbean region. Neighboring countries have reported a decrease in economic activity due to fear of the growing US military presence and bombings. The situation is described as "extremely dangerous" by Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who emphasized the importance of peace in the region.
The lack of transparency and accountability from the Trump administration has raised questions about the legitimacy of these operations. With at least 61 people killed and two survivors missing since September 1st, it is clear that these strikes are having a devastating impact on innocent lives.
The recent destruction of a boat carrying four people who were killed has raised concerns about the administration's approach to combatting narcotics trafficking. The Trump administration has admitted that it doesn't know who is on these boats and doesn't see it as necessary to identify individuals, with Pentagon officials stating that they only need to positively identify individuals in order to conduct strikes.
However, Türk disagrees, stating that "there's nothing that we heard in there that changes my assessment that this is completely illegal". He also noted that even if Congress authorized such operations, it would still be unlawful due to the absence of evidence and extrajudicial killings.
Türk has called for an immediate and independent investigation into the attacks, citing the fact that "the intentional use of lethal force is only permissible as a last resort against individuals who pose an imminent threat to life". The UN human rights chief also emphasized that the US must halt such attacks and take measures to prevent extrajudicial killings.
The mounting human cost of these strikes has led to widespread concern, particularly in the Caribbean region. Neighboring countries have reported a decrease in economic activity due to fear of the growing US military presence and bombings. The situation is described as "extremely dangerous" by Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who emphasized the importance of peace in the region.
The lack of transparency and accountability from the Trump administration has raised questions about the legitimacy of these operations. With at least 61 people killed and two survivors missing since September 1st, it is clear that these strikes are having a devastating impact on innocent lives.
I mean, come on... isn't there like, some evidence or something that proves these people were actually involved in narcotics trafficking? And what's with the "imminent threat to life" thing? Who gets to decide that? Shouldn't they be able to identify the actual bad guys and target them specifically?
Like, what's up with this "we don't need to identify individuals" thing? Are they trying to avoid accountability or something? It's not like they're just making stuff up and hitting boats by chance 
. And can we talk about how these strikes are having a ripple effect on the whole Caribbean region? I mean, people are literally losing their livelihoods because of some US military showboating 
. It's not like they're even trying to address the root problem of narcotics trafficking 
. And what's with the lack of transparency? Is it too hard for the Trump admin to have a little chat about how they're handling these situations? 
Just saying...
It just doesn't add up.
We need to hold our leaders accountable for making sure innocent people aren't caught in the crossfire. And the fact that neighboring countries are feeling so scared and affected by this... it's just devastating. 
this is just another example of how out of touch the US government is with international law 
. I mean, what's next? Just because they say it's necessary to take down these "drugs boats" doesn't make it okay 
. The lack of transparency and accountability from the Trump administration is staggering 
. And now Türk is calling for an investigation, that's like saying "Hey, we messed up, let's fix this" 
. It should have been a lesson learned after all those drone strikes in Yemen and now they're doing it again in the Pacific 
. We need more than just empty words from the administration, we need concrete actions to stop these extrajudicial killings 
.
It's so messed up! The fact that they don't care about identifying individuals before killing them is wild... like, what if it was a random tourist or something?! 
. We need to know the truth behind these attacks! The lack of transparency from the Trump admin is giving me LIFELESS 
. And btw, Mia Mottley is spot on about the economic impact in the Caribbean region... it's like, super devastating 
. Can't we all just get along? 
.
. We should all be watching out for this, it's getting too serious 
.
. We need more transparency and accountability from our leaders, you know? 
It's no joke, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley is right to say it's "extremely dangerous" 
. We need to find a way to address the root causes of narcotics trafficking without resorting to such heavy-handed tactics.
. It's like, totally unacceptable to just go around killing people without knowing who they are or why 
. And let's not forget, the UN human rights chief is right on point – extrajudicial killings are never the answer 
. The Caribbean region is already feeling the heat with decreased economic activity due to fear of US military presence... this situation is getting out of hand 
. and now neighboring countries r gettin affected too, it's like a domino effect... 
. we gotta find a better way to do this. maybe some kinda international cooperation or somethin? idk... just seems like it's too much power in one person's hands right now 
... And what's up with the lack of transparency? It's like they're hiding something 
... or maybe they just don't care about who gets killed in the crossfire 
. Can't we all just get along and work together to solve these problems instead of resorting to violence? 
. Like, where's the accountability? Where are the investigations into who authorized these strikes? It's all just a big ol' cover-up, if you ask me 
.