US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Under Fire for Alleged Order to Kill Survivors of Boat Strike
The US Department of Defense is facing growing scrutiny over the alleged order by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to kill survivors of a boat strike in the Caribbean. According to sources, Hegseth's actions could result in him and other officials being held liable for war crimes or murder.
Hegseth has been accused of ordering a double-tap strike on September 2, in which two survivors of an initial boat strike were killed. The US military has carried out over 20 attacks since then, killing at least 83 civilians and destroying 22 boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.
Military legal experts, lawmakers, and government sources say that Hegseth's actions are patently illegal under international law. Todd Huntley, a former Staff Judge Advocate, said that those directly involved in the strike could be charged with murder under the Uniform Code of Military Justice or federal law.
The Pentagon's Law of War Manual is clear on attacking defenseless people. "Persons who have been rendered unconscious or otherwise incapacitated by wounds, sickness, or shipwreck, such that they are no longer capable of fighting, are hors de combat," it reads. "Persons who have been incapacitated by wounds, sickness, or shipwreck are in a helpless state, and it would be dishonorable and inhumane to make them the object of attack."
Lawmakers from both parties have expressed rare bipartisan agreement that Hegseth's actions could amount to war crimes. Senator Tim Kaine called the strike "a clear case of extrajudicial killing" and said that Hegseth's order to kill all survivors was a "clear violation of international law".
The Trump administration has defended the attacks, claiming that they are permitted under the US right of self-defense. However, experts say that this justification is flawed and that the strikes could be considered war crimes.
The Former JAGs Working Group, an organization made up of former and retired military judge advocates, said that Hegseth's order to kill all survivors was "a clear case of murder" and that it would subject everyone from SECDEF down to the individual who pulled the trigger to prosecution under US law for murder.
As the investigation into Hegseth's actions continues, the Pentagon is facing growing pressure to explain its actions. The department has refused to comment on the matter, citing national security concerns.
The US Department of Defense is facing growing scrutiny over the alleged order by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to kill survivors of a boat strike in the Caribbean. According to sources, Hegseth's actions could result in him and other officials being held liable for war crimes or murder.
Hegseth has been accused of ordering a double-tap strike on September 2, in which two survivors of an initial boat strike were killed. The US military has carried out over 20 attacks since then, killing at least 83 civilians and destroying 22 boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.
Military legal experts, lawmakers, and government sources say that Hegseth's actions are patently illegal under international law. Todd Huntley, a former Staff Judge Advocate, said that those directly involved in the strike could be charged with murder under the Uniform Code of Military Justice or federal law.
The Pentagon's Law of War Manual is clear on attacking defenseless people. "Persons who have been rendered unconscious or otherwise incapacitated by wounds, sickness, or shipwreck, such that they are no longer capable of fighting, are hors de combat," it reads. "Persons who have been incapacitated by wounds, sickness, or shipwreck are in a helpless state, and it would be dishonorable and inhumane to make them the object of attack."
Lawmakers from both parties have expressed rare bipartisan agreement that Hegseth's actions could amount to war crimes. Senator Tim Kaine called the strike "a clear case of extrajudicial killing" and said that Hegseth's order to kill all survivors was a "clear violation of international law".
The Trump administration has defended the attacks, claiming that they are permitted under the US right of self-defense. However, experts say that this justification is flawed and that the strikes could be considered war crimes.
The Former JAGs Working Group, an organization made up of former and retired military judge advocates, said that Hegseth's order to kill all survivors was "a clear case of murder" and that it would subject everyone from SECDEF down to the individual who pulled the trigger to prosecution under US law for murder.
As the investigation into Hegseth's actions continues, the Pentagon is facing growing pressure to explain its actions. The department has refused to comment on the matter, citing national security concerns.
like how can u order ppl 2 b killed just cuz they survived a boat strike?? and now ppl r talkin bout war crimes and murder charges...this is insane 
u think those survivors were fightin or somethin? 
i mean, the pentagon's law of war manual says it's super clear that you can't attack people who can't even move lol idk how much more evidence ppl need before they take action...anyway, this is a total disaster 
it's like they forgot about basic human rights 101. i mean, what kind of person orders the killing of defenseless people? this is war crimes for sure and if anyone gets caught, they should be held accountable 
this sounds super sus to me... i mean, killing innocent people and then trying to justify it as self-defense? that just doesn't add up 
like how can you say its okay to kill everyone who's left alive after an attack? isnt that like, the definition of a war crime or something? 
also what's with all these ppl saying its clear violation of int law but nobody's holding him accountable yet 
the fact that lawmakers are finally speaking up about this is a good start, but we need real change - not just empty condemnations. 
what's next? Are we gonna start executing civilians left and right because of some convenient loophole in self-defense? 
this is insane how can you just kill people who are trying to survive after a boat strike?! 
it's like they're just throwing lives away for no reason at all... i'm so angry about this and i don't even know what to say anymore. the fact that there's bipartisan agreement on this is just sad because it means we have to trust our governments to do the right thing and that's not happening here 
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But at the end of the day, we need answers and accountability. The Pentagon needs to be more transparent about what happened and why these actions were taken.
it's not even self-defense when you're trying to kill them all! the fact that lawmakers from both parties are speaking out against this is really encouraging though 
we need more voices like Senator Kaine calling out these atrocities. and can we please get some answers from the Pentagon about what's going on? 