"Kill Them All": Military Directive Sparks War Crime Concerns
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Resources & Recommendations
People Mentioned
- Pete Hegseth (Secretary) - Mentioned as the official who allegedly gave the "kill them all" order regarding drug traffickers.
- Alex Horton (National Security Reporter for The Post) - The reporter whose exclusive reporting on Hegseth's order and the subsequent strikes is the subject of the episode.
- Admiral Frank Bradley (Joint Special Operations Commander) - The commander who ordered the second strike on the boat, fulfilling Hegseth's original intent.
- Mike Turner (Representative from Ohio) - A Republican lawmaker who expressed significant concerns about the second strike and questioned its legality.
- Nicholas Maduro (President of Venezuela) - Mentioned as the leader of Venezuela, which the Trump administration has targeted, connecting him to the drug trafficking operations.
- Marco Rubio (Secretary of State) - Mentioned as a top aid of the president who has expressed a strong desire for Maduro to leave power.
Organizations & Institutions
- US Coast Guard - An organization with a law enforcement mission to track and interdict boats, arrest people, and seize drugs in the region.
- DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) - Mentioned by experts who worked in the region, stating that drug traffickers are often "fishermen who are down on their luck" rather than cartel kingpins.
- Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel - Issued a memo and opinion before the strikes, designating the operation as being against "narco-terrorists" and claiming it was a "non-international armed conflict."
- Senate Armed Services Committee - Announced an investigation into the broader "Southern Spear" campaign against traffickers and the first strike in particular, following the Post's reporting.
- House Armed Services Committee - Announced an investigation into the broader "Southern Spear" campaign against traffickers and the first strike in particular, following the Post's reporting.
Websites & Online Resources
- washingtonpost.com/subscribe - Where listeners can subscribe to The Washington Post for exclusive reporting, advice columns, recipes, and reviews.