"Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, told soldiers under his command in Iraq to ignore legal advice about when they were permitted to kill enemy combatants under their rules of engagement. The anecdote is contained in a book Hegseth wrote last year in which he also repeatedly railed against the constraints placed on American warfighters by the laws of war and the Geneva conventions."
"Hegseth is currently under scrutiny for a 2 September attack on a boat purportedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean, where survivors of a first strike on the vessel were reportedly killed in a second strike following a verbal order from Hegseth to kill everybody. Hegseth has denied giving the order and retained the support of Donald Trump. The US president said Hegseth told him he did not say that, and I believe him, 100%."
"Hegseth writes that upon arrival in Iraq, the men were briefed regarding the latest in theater' rules of engagement, adding: Needless to say, no infantrymen like army lawyers which is why JAG officers are often not so affectionately known as jagoffs'. He added of JAG lawyers: Most spend more time prosecuting our troops than they do putting away bad guys. It's easier to get promoted that way."
Pete Hegseth instructed soldiers under his command in Iraq to ignore legal advice about when they were permitted to kill enemy combatants under rules of engagement. He criticized constraints placed on American warfighters by the laws of war and the Geneva conventions. He faces scrutiny over a 2 September Caribbean boat attack purportedly carrying drugs, where survivors of an initial strike were reportedly killed in a second strike after an alleged verbal order to kill everybody. Hegseth denied giving that order and retained presidential support, while some US senators raised the possibility of a war crime. He recounted telling troops to disregard JAG guidance and disparaged JAG officers as prosecuting troops rather than catching bad actors.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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