U.S. won't kill drug smugglers if their countries cooperate, Rubio says

"QUITO, Ecuador - The Trump administration will continue to identify and kill foreign drug smugglers without the consent of their home countries, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Thursday. But such actions may not be necessary if the smugglers come from friendly nations that cooperate with the United States, Rubio added. "For cooperative governments, there's no need because those governments are going to help us," the top U.S. diplomat said during a visit to Ecuador's capital. "They're going to help us find these people and blow them up, if that's what it takes.""

"Leftist governments in the region have condemned the attack, which the U.S. says killed 11 "narco-terrorists" transporting drugs that could end up in the country. The Trump administration has refused to outline basic details about the operation, including which part of the U.S. military conducted the assassination. Colombian President Gustavo Petro called the strike a "murder" and questioned its effectiveness. "We have been capturing civilians transporting drugs for decades without killing them. Those who transport drugs are not the big drug traffickers, but the very poor young people of the Caribbean and the Pacific," he said."

"Venezuela's Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello called the bombing an extrajudicial killing. "Let's suppose that it was drugs; there were 11 people, and they were shot. Do they have the right to murder people? Their own laws prohibit it," he said on Wednesday."

The Trump administration will continue to identify and kill foreign drug smugglers without the consent of their home countries. Cooperative governments that assist U.S. efforts may eliminate the need for unilateral strikes. A recent U.S. attack near Venezuelan waters reportedly killed 11 suspected 'narco-terrorists' and has prompted regional condemnation. The U.S. has declined to disclose operational details, drawing criticism from Colombia's president and Venezuelan officials who labeled the action murder and an extrajudicial killing. Several other nations offered muted responses, possibly due to desires for favorable U.S. policy treatment.

Read at The Washington Post