The US has effectively abandoned its search for survivors of a recent boat strike, leaving them to die at sea. On December 30, three boats were attacked by US forces in the Pacific Ocean, killing civilians and causing widespread panic among the crew.
According to officials, after striking one vessel and killing three civilians, the crew members of the other two boats "abandoned the other two vessels, jumping overboard and distancing themselves before follow-on engagements sank their respective vessels." This means that the survivors who leapt into the sea were left to fend for themselves in treacherous conditions.
The Coast Guard suspended its search efforts on Friday, citing a "declining probability of survival" and stating that those people are now presumed dead. This decision has been met with widespread criticism from experts and lawmakers, who argue that the strikes are illegal extrajudicial killings.
"We're talking about a situation where you blow up the only thing that could possibly save their lives," said William Baumgartner, a retired US Coast Guard rear admiral and former chief counsel of the service branch. "The expected result is essentially the same as putting a gun to their head."
The US has been conducting a campaign of military and CIA operations against narco-terrorists in the Caribbean and Pacific since September, resulting in at least 117 civilian deaths in 35 attacks.
Critics argue that this behavior amounts to an authoritarian takeover of the US government, with President Donald Trump ignoring court orders and putting MAGA loyalists in charge of the military and federal law enforcement agencies. The media landscape is also being reshaped by right-wing billionaires who are buying up media outlets and rebuilding the information environment to their liking.
As one former president of The Intercept pointed out, "It's been a devastating year for journalism – the worst in modern US history."
According to officials, after striking one vessel and killing three civilians, the crew members of the other two boats "abandoned the other two vessels, jumping overboard and distancing themselves before follow-on engagements sank their respective vessels." This means that the survivors who leapt into the sea were left to fend for themselves in treacherous conditions.
The Coast Guard suspended its search efforts on Friday, citing a "declining probability of survival" and stating that those people are now presumed dead. This decision has been met with widespread criticism from experts and lawmakers, who argue that the strikes are illegal extrajudicial killings.
"We're talking about a situation where you blow up the only thing that could possibly save their lives," said William Baumgartner, a retired US Coast Guard rear admiral and former chief counsel of the service branch. "The expected result is essentially the same as putting a gun to their head."
The US has been conducting a campaign of military and CIA operations against narco-terrorists in the Caribbean and Pacific since September, resulting in at least 117 civilian deaths in 35 attacks.
Critics argue that this behavior amounts to an authoritarian takeover of the US government, with President Donald Trump ignoring court orders and putting MAGA loyalists in charge of the military and federal law enforcement agencies. The media landscape is also being reshaped by right-wing billionaires who are buying up media outlets and rebuilding the information environment to their liking.
As one former president of The Intercept pointed out, "It's been a devastating year for journalism – the worst in modern US history."
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this news... It's just not right. Leaving people to die at sea after they've already escaped from a hostile situation? That's just cruel. The math doesn't add up, you know? You blow up the boat and then expect the survivors to just magically float away on their own? 
It's like they're saying "good luck" to those people.
It's time for some accountability, you know?
, it sounds like they're basically abandoning people to die at sea after they were attacked by the military. Like, that's not even right. I mean, who just gives up on searching for survivors and says they're doomed? That's some messed up stuff.
. I mean, I get it, there are some pretty extreme voices out there, but we need to make sure our journalists aren't getting bought off or bullied into spewing the same talking points.
This is just mind-blowing! I mean, who do these people think they are? 
The US Coast Guard just gives up on searching for survivors after just one boat is sunk and three people are killed? It's like they're not even trying to help anyone. And now those people are left to die at sea... it's just horrific. 
I mean, I get it, there needs to be some kind of action taken, but this isn't it. We need accountability and transparency, not just military strikes and CIA operations. 
And what's with the criticism from experts and lawmakers saying these actions are basically extrajudicial killings? It's like they're trying to cover their tracks or something.
Where is the compassion and empathy here? We need more than just "tough love" from our leaders.
I mean, we all know how those folks are gonna end up - at the bottom of the ocean 
. And don't even get me started on the US "campaign" against narco-terrorists... sounds like some real good ol' fashioned vigilantism to me 
. I'm not surprised that folks are calling out Trump for his authoritarian tendencies, though. That guy's been a wild card from day one 
.
. it's like they think they're above the law or something. and don't even get me started on how many people have died already - 117 in just a few months 
I've seen so many stories about this kind of thing happening, and it always breaks my heart... like, shouldn't we be doing better as humans?
It's crazy how some people think it's okay to just kill civilians, even if they're not directly involved. I know we have our differences in school debates about foreign policy, but come on... this is just basic human decency! 
If our government was more transparent and followed the law, maybe we wouldn't be seeing so many scandals like this.
where does the line between security and oppression get blurred?
. The fact that there's been at least 117 civilian deaths and no one seems to be held accountable is just, like, crazy. I don't think we can downplay this or make excuses for it.
. With right-wing billionaires buying up outlets and shaping the info landscape, it's becoming harder to get a real picture of what's going on. Journalism is supposed to be about holding people in power accountable, but now it feels like they're being silenced too.
Those poor people who were left to die in the sea... my heart is breaking just thinking about it 
. And what about all those civilians who have already died in these attacks?! 
It's just not right.
. We need more transparency and accountability, ASAP 
. This is a major concern, guys, and we need to make some noise about it