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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Comment
Kenneth Roth

All of the deadly US strikes on alleged drug boats are murders

Trump with his hand on one eye
‘The secret Department of Justice memo approving these attacks reportedly relies on little more than Trump’s assertions.’ Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The largely supine Republicans in Congress had no apparent trouble as Donald Trump and defense secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the killing of suspected drug runners off the coasts of Venezuela and Colombia. But suddenly they are up in arms because the Washington Post reported on 28 November about one incident, a double-tap strike, in which the US military finished off two survivors of an attack.

Tempted as I am to accept whatever it takes to spark some minimal scrutiny of these summary executions, I hope this unexpected opening prompts broader investigation of this entire series of murders, which have now claimed 87 victims in 22 attacks. As Democrats join in, there are some indications that this expanded scrutiny may be finally beginning.

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