Tensions in the Caribbean

Hegseth was critical of Trump's statements in 2016

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was critical of Donald Trump's statements about forcing the military to carry out illegal orders on several occasions. This is reported by CNN.

Hegseth is said to have said in broadcasts on Fox News from 2016 that soldiers "will not follow illegal orders". The criticism was raised after Trump, during the then ongoing presidential election campaign, suggested, among other things, that old torture methods should be resumed despite the fact that they lacked legal support.

CNN writes that Hegseth seems to have recently reversed his statements. His decision to carry out airstrikes against suspected "drug boats" in the Pacific has been criticized by both Democrats and Republicans for having "crossed legal boundaries".

Promised war on drugs – has pardoned drug lords

Despite US President Donald Trump's tough line on combating drug trafficking, he has pardoned around 100 people convicted of drug-related crimes. The Washington Post reports.

On his first day as president, he pardoned Ross Ulbricht, who was convicted of running the online black market for drugs "Silk Road". And just last week, Trump pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted of running a large-scale drug operation that smuggled 400 tons of cocaine into the US.

During his first term in office, Trump pardoned 90 people who committed drug-related crimes. Since January, he has pardoned ten people convicted of similar crimes.

At the same time, Trump has ordered airstrikes against boats in the Pacific Ocean suspected of smuggling drugs into the US.

– How does this protect Americans from the flow of drugs into our country? asks the critical Democratic Senator Tim Kaine.

Democrats rage against video of boat attack – demand its release

Democrats in the US who have seen the disputed video of an attack on a suspected drug boat are sharply questioning the attack and demanding its release, reports the New York Times.

The video from the attack on September 2 has been shown in the House Intelligence Committee. The criticism has been that a second wave of attacks was ordered to kill survivors. But the Democrats and Republicans on the committee have widely different pictures of the events. According to Jim Hines, a Democrat, it is clear that those who did not die in the first wave of attacks “barely survived” and “did not participate in hostilities.”

– It is very clear that they do not want to release the video because they simply do not want people to see it. Because it is very difficult to justify, says another Democrat on the committee, Adam Smith, to CBS.

For several months, the US military has carried out airstrikes against boats accused of smuggling drugs to the US.

The boat attacks in the Caribbean

• Since September, the US has carried out at least 22 attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, where, according to US authorities and international media, between 71 and more than 85 people have been killed.
• The attack on September 2 against a suspected drug boat has drawn harsh criticism after two survivors were killed in a second attack, which several experts and politicians believe may constitute a war crime.
• The White House has confirmed that a second missile was used on orders from Admiral Frank Bradley, but both Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the White House deny that there was an order to "kill them all".
• Venezuela has responded to the US military escalation with a massive mobilization of the army and has sworn in thousands of new soldiers, while relations with the US have deteriorated.
• The Swedish Foreign Ministry advises against all travel to Venezuela due to the deteriorating security situation and the risk of armed escalation between the countries.