CIA reviewing authorities to use deadly force against drug cartels, CNN reports

WASHINGTON (TNND) — The CIA is reviewing its authorities to use deadly force against drug cartels, CNN reported Monday.

Lawyers for the agency are examining, among other matters, what liability the CIA and its officers would have if an American is accidentally killed in an operation against the cartels, according to the network, which cited an unidentified person briefed on the review.

“It’s not a question of whether they can or cannot use lethal force. They can,” CNN quoted a person briefed as saying. “It’s more about the implications of Americans being potentially injured or killed based on their broader presence in the space.”

The review is reportedly designed to help the CIA understand what action it could take against drug cartels and the risk behind any move.

“If any administration is pushing us to do something that has potential significant adverse ramifications for the agency, [the CIA] is going to want to double and triple check: ‘Is it legal?’ and ‘Do we have extraordinarily clear policy direction to do what we’re going to do?’” one former CIA official who has experience developing similar reviews said, according to CNN.

“Just because something is legal under [the law of armed conflict] doesn’t mean it’s something you should do,” the network quoted the former official, who was referring to rules opposing sides are obligated to follow, as noting. “There’s an ethical component. There’s a practical component. There’s a pragmatic component.”

Current CIA officials are cautious about using assets, some of whom traditionally pursue military targets, to go after cartel members, CNN added.

An official reportedly said collateral damage could also backfire on a nation that allows the CIA to operate inside its borders or that accepts intelligence support from the agency to conduct its own lethal operations.

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