The United Kingdom has suspended some intelligence sharing with the United States, its close ally, over the U.S. military’s lethal strikes against alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, since London thinks the attacks are illegal and does not want to be implicated, multiple outlets reported on Tuesday.
The decision to halt intelligence sharing, which took place earlier this fall, highlights the range of skepticism regarding the Trump administration’s legal justification for the vessel strikes, which so far have killed at least 76 people.
The U.S. garners intelligence from a variety of sources, including the UK, which oversees some territories in the Caribbean and offers information that assists the U.S. in identifying boats suspected of smuggling narcotics in the region.
The gathered intelligence is normally delivered to the Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATFS), based in Key West, Fla., which works on monitoring and detecting suspected illegal trafficking targets and conducting counter-narcotic operations.
More than a dozen countries, including close U.S. allies, have liaison officers based at JIATFS, which is led by Coast Guard Rear Adm. Jeff Randall.
The Hill has reached out to JIATFS for comment.
A DOD official told The Hill on Tuesday that the Pentagon does not “discuss intelligence matters.”
A UK government spokesperson told The Hill that it is “our longstanding policy to not comment on intelligence matters.”
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