The post Trump Declares Caribbean Drug Cartels ‘Unlawful Combatants’ appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Topline President Donald Trump has labeled drug cartels operating in the Caribbean as “unlawful combatants” and said the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict,” multiple outlets reported Thursday, following recent strikes targeting alleged drug smuggling boats in the region. The U.S. military has carried out multiple strikes targeting alleged drug smuggling boats in the region in recent weeks. Getty Images Key Facts The Trump administration said in a confidential notice the U.S. was engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” against the drug cartels, the Associated Press and New York Times reported, citing a person familiar with the matter and a copy of the notice, respectively. The notice indicates Trump has “determined” cartels smuggling drugs are “nonstate armed groups” whose actions “constitute an armed attack against the United States,” the Times reported, though Defense Department officials could not provide a list of the groups at the center of the conflict, according to the Associated Press. Last month, the U.S. military carried out at least three deadly strikes targeting boats accused of carrying drugs into the U.S., two of which were believed to originate from Venezuela, while Trump claimed the vessels were “committing violence and terrorism against Americans.” The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes. What Is A Non-International Armed Conflict? International law defines non-international armed conflict as a war between a nation and one or more non-state actors. It’s not immediately clear whether the drug cartels would meet the standard of being an organized armed group, however, as legal experts disputed the legality of the boat strikes. John Yoo, a former deputy assistant attorney general under former President George W. Bush, told Politico the U.S. “can’t just consider anything that harms the country to be a matter for the military,” arguing the Trump… The post Trump Declares Caribbean Drug Cartels ‘Unlawful Combatants’ appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Topline President Donald Trump has labeled drug cartels operating in the Caribbean as “unlawful combatants” and said the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict,” multiple outlets reported Thursday, following recent strikes targeting alleged drug smuggling boats in the region. The U.S. military has carried out multiple strikes targeting alleged drug smuggling boats in the region in recent weeks. Getty Images Key Facts The Trump administration said in a confidential notice the U.S. was engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” against the drug cartels, the Associated Press and New York Times reported, citing a person familiar with the matter and a copy of the notice, respectively. The notice indicates Trump has “determined” cartels smuggling drugs are “nonstate armed groups” whose actions “constitute an armed attack against the United States,” the Times reported, though Defense Department officials could not provide a list of the groups at the center of the conflict, according to the Associated Press. Last month, the U.S. military carried out at least three deadly strikes targeting boats accused of carrying drugs into the U.S., two of which were believed to originate from Venezuela, while Trump claimed the vessels were “committing violence and terrorism against Americans.” The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes. What Is A Non-International Armed Conflict? International law defines non-international armed conflict as a war between a nation and one or more non-state actors. It’s not immediately clear whether the drug cartels would meet the standard of being an organized armed group, however, as legal experts disputed the legality of the boat strikes. John Yoo, a former deputy assistant attorney general under former President George W. Bush, told Politico the U.S. “can’t just consider anything that harms the country to be a matter for the military,” arguing the Trump…