Free Republic

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 Trump administration said in a confidential notice the U.S. was engaged in an “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.