Alleged ‘kill everybody’ order isn’t just illegal — it’s a war crime that endangers every American in uniform

By Karl K. Schneider

I read a deeply troubling article recently: “Survivors on ‘narco boat’ targeted by Trump order were blown apart after Hegseth verbal command to ‘kill everybody’: Report” published by The Independent and also carried on many other news outlets.

The revelations in this report are not merely disturbing; they strike at the very foundation of international law and America’s moral authority.

According to The Independent, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth allegedly gave a verbal order to “leave no survivors.” If true, this directive represents a grave breach of the law of war and places both the commander who carried it out and those who issued the order in direct violation of international legal standards.

Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions is unequivocal: persons who ar