UK Suspends Intelligence Sharing With US Over Concerns On Caribbean Boat Strikes

The UK will no longer share intelligence with the US on suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean as it does not want to be complicit in “illegal” US military strikes, CNN reported.

The UK, which controls a number of territories in the Caribbean, has for years been helping the US locating vessels suspected of carrying drugs for the US Coast Guard to interdict them, CNN quoted sources as saying.

However, after the US started launching lethal strikes on boats in September, the UK flagged concerns that the US might use intelligence provided by the British to select targets.

According to CNN, British officials believe the US military strikes, which have killed 76 people, violate international law, the sources said. The intelligence pause

began over a month ago, they said.

The latest decision has underscored the growing skepticism over the legality of the US military’s campaign around Latin America.

Last month, UN’s human rights chief, Volker Türk, said the strikes violate international law and amount to “extrajudicial killing”.

President Donald Trump has justified the airstrikes and said these were a “necessary escalation” to halt the flow of drugs into the US.

Besides UK, Canada, which previously helped the US Coast Guard interdict suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean, has also distanced itself from the US military strikes.

CNN quoted sources as saying that though Canada intends to continue its partnership with the Coast Guard, it does not want its intelligence being used to help target boats for deadly strikes.

Last month, a spokesperson for Canada’s defense said “it is important to note that Canadian Armed Forces activities under Operation Caribbean, conducted in co-ordination with the United States Coast Guard, are separate and distinct”.

Trump claims that the US is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels. The Republican is relying on the same legal authority his predecessor and fellow Republican George W. Bush relied on when it declared a war on terrorism after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Meanwhile, Venezuela has started deploying weapons and is also planning to begin a guerrilla-style resistance after US President Donald Trump suggested ground operations following multiple strikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean, according to Reuters. However, Trump later denied he was considering strikes inside Venezuela.