U.S. Military Features Cross In Caribbean Missile Strikes Post | EUROtoday

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 take into account the Jerusalem Cross, because the ornate design is understood, to be a easy career of Christian religion. Some use it to particularly have fun the Christian Crusades’ domination of Muslims almost a millennia in the past. Defense 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.

SouthCom has been behind a sequence of not less than 22 strikes ― leading to some 87 killings ― within the Eastern Pacific and the Caribbean, in line with a CBS News tally final week. The strikes fall below 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. Similar variations had been shared on Facebook 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, informed HuffPost in an e-mail. “There is no other communication intent for this image.”

The administration alleges the boats it’s concentrating on are bringing medication to the United States, a declare for which it has not supplied concrete proof, and that the supposed drugrunners are actually members of a delegated terrorist group. This, the administration says, makes them truthful recreation for army strikes, versus Coast Guard drug interdiction, which generally doesn’t contain deadly pressure in any respect.

On prime of killing alleged drug smugglers on the grounds that they’re really militant terrorists, the administration is coming below 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.