Hegseth's Iran war talk conflicts with law forbidding "no quarter" ban, experts say
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The Bottom Line
Defense Secretary Hegseth's 'no quarter, no mercy' pledge violates international war laws, experts warn.
How This Affects You
American service members face greater risk if enemies retaliate against illegal war tactics.
AI Summary
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pledged "no quarter, no mercy for our enemies" in a recent speech, which legal experts say violates international humanitarian law that explicitly forbids declaring "no quarter will be given." New York University law professor Ryan Goodman warned that Hegseth is "putting the American military on a track to lawlessness" and called for the defense secretary to retract his statement. The U.S. military has banned such orders since the Civil War's Lieber Code, and the Pentagon's law of war manual states unequivocally that such statements constitute war crimes. Sen. Mark Kelly emphasized that "no quarter" orders would mean killing prisoners instead of taking them, which would be illegal and put American service members at greater risk. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment on Hegseth's remarks.
What's Being Done
Legal experts are calling for Hegseth to retract his statement that violates Pentagon war law manuals.
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