The United States is formally engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels that Donald Trump’s administration has labeled “unlawful combatants,” according to a confidential notice to members of Congress.
The notice was reportedly sent to several congressional committees this week and obtained by The New York Times, which first reported the statements.
The designation appears to provide justification for a series of strikes against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea, which have drawn legal scrutiny and allegations that the administration and defense officials committed extrajudicial murder.
The administration has previously argued that the “presidentially-directed” strikes were performed in defense of national security and “fully consistent with the law of armed conflict,” arguing that lethal force was permitted against targets allegedly smuggling drugs for cartels designated foreign terrorist organizations.
According to the notice obtained by The New York Times, the administration states that the president has “determined” that cartels are “nonstate armed groups” whose actions “constitute an armed attack against the United States” now engaged in a “noninternational armed conflict” — or war with a nonstate actor.
The administration reportedly cites a statute requiring reports to lawmakers about conflicts involving U.S. military personnel.
This is a developing story
