UK suspends some intelligence sharing with US over boat strike concerns
11 days ago
- #US-UK relations
- #international law
- #drug trafficking
- The UK has stopped sharing intelligence with the US on suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean due to concerns over the legality of US military strikes.
- The UK believes the US military strikes, which have killed 76 people, violate international law and amount to 'extrajudicial killing.'
- The intelligence pause began over a month ago, marking a significant break in the UK-US intelligence-sharing partnership.
- The US argues that suspected traffickers are 'enemy combatants' and pose an imminent threat, justifying lethal force under the Law of Armed Conflict.
- Legal experts and international law officials, including the UN, dispute the legality of the strikes, noting that drug traffickers are civilians and not legitimate military targets.
- Canada, another US ally, has also distanced itself from the military strikes but continues to cooperate with the US Coast Guard on interdiction efforts.
- Senior US defense officials, including Adm. Alvin Holsey, have raised concerns about the legality of the strikes, with Holsey offering to resign over the issue.
- The Trump administration has designated several drug cartels as 'foreign terrorist groups,' but this does not automatically authorize lethal force under international law.