In a social media put up in regards to the operation involving missile strikes which have killed scores of individuals within the Caribbean Sea, a U.S. army account featured no American flags ― however a big cross was plainly seen.
Many think about the Jerusalem Cross, because the ornate design is understood, to be a easy occupation of Christian religion. Some use it to particularly have a good time the Christian Crusades’ domination of Muslims almost a millennia in the past. Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth was not allowed to work safety on the 2021 inauguration of President Joe Biden as a result of he has a big Jerusalem Cross tattooed on his chest, as HuffPost beforehand reported.
Hegseth, recounting that have, described the Jerusalem Cross as “just a Christian symbol.”
U.S. Southern Command, which oversees U.S. army exercise in South America and the Caribbean, on Monday posted a picture prominently that includes that Christian image.
U.S. Southern Command/Twitter
SouthCom has been behind a collection of a minimum of 22 strikes ― leading to some 87 killings ― within the Japanese Pacific and the Caribbean, in keeping with a CBS Information tally final week. The strikes fall beneath what the administration calls Operation Southern Spear.
“U.S. military forces are deployed to the #SOUTHCOM area of responsibility in support of #OpSouthernSpear, @DeptofWar-directed operations, and @POTUS’ priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland,” SouthCom’s put up learn on X. Comparable variations had been shared on Fb and Instagram.
“The graphic was an illustration of service members in a ready posture during Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR,” Col. Emanuel Ortiz, U.S. Southern Command spokesperson, instructed HuffPost in an electronic mail. “There is no other communication intent for this image.”
The administration alleges the boats it’s concentrating on are bringing medicine to america, a declare for which it has not offered concrete proof, and that the supposed drugrunners are in actual fact members of a delegated terrorist group. This, the administration says, makes them truthful recreation for army strikes, versus Coast Guard drug interdiction, which usually doesn’t contain deadly drive in any respect.
On prime of killing alleged drug smugglers on the grounds that they’re truly militant terrorists, the administration is coming beneath extra warmth for a so-called “double tap” strike that concerned killing the survivors of an preliminary strike with but extra fireplace. Hegseth has defended that strike.
