“WWe are going to kill them. They're going to die, like – die.'' US President Donald Trump said this to a group of journalists at the White House press conference. “I don't think we would necessarily ask for a declaration of war. I think we would kill people who are bringing drugs into our country,'' he said nbcnews.com In October last year.
NBC News reported that members of Congress had become concerned about the lack of information from the administration about the intelligence and strategy behind the attacks on alleged drug-trafficking boats. The US has fired on suspected drug ships in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean since early September, killing about 40 people, Reuters reported.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the attacks. “Still, it is murder,” Mr. Petro said. “Whether in the Caribbean or the Pacific Ocean, the U.S. government's strategy violates the norms of international law.” Amnesty International protests missile attacks in the Caribbean.
But talking about the assassination has been Trump's branding, even when he was running for president against Hillary Clinton in 2016. “I could stand in the middle of 5th “Avenue and shoot someone and I'm not going to lose voters,” Trump said at a campaign rally in Idaho. CNN reported (January 24, 2016) Trump had previously joked about killing people.
The Axios commentary said Trump made statements encouraging and promoting violence throughout his presidency. According to ABC News, during a speech to law enforcement officers in Long Island, New York, he encouraged police officers to be harsher with the people they were arresting. “Please don't be too nice,” he said. Speaking at a Montana campaign rally, he publicly praised Montana Congressman Greg Gianforte (R) for attacking a reporter. “Anybody who can body slam is my type!” Trump said. A new York Times The report reported that “Trump had reportedly considered various strategies to keep migrants away from the US southern border, including water ditches filled with snakes or alligators and shooting migrants in the legs to slow them down.”
President Trump ran for re-election in 2024, promising to “carry out the largest deportation campaign in American history.” Less than 14% of the nearly 400,000 immigrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the first year of President Trump's tenure in the White House had charges or convictions for violent criminal offenses, according to internal Department of Homeland Security documents obtained by CBS News. Guardian ICE and Customs Border Protection (CBP) data reviewed since Trump's 2ndRa Inauguration Total arrests: 397,880; People currently detained: 68,290; Total deportations: 396,400 – all as of 13 February.
In order to defend American borders to his death, Trump violated the borders of another country, Iran, and broke international law to kill its leaders and its people. The BBC quoted him as saying, “Our objective is to protect the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very callous, terrible people. Its dangerous activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases abroad, and our allies around the world.”
It seems like the obsession is kill, kill, kill.
“On February 28, 2026, Israel and the United States launched a series of strikes against Iran, targeting the country's leadership, security forces, and nuclear program and missile sites. They said they were intended to induce regime change in Iran and address concerns about its nuclear program. The strikes have reportedly caused both military and civilian casualties in Iran” (commonslibrary.parliament.uk). The sounds of explosions are still being heard in Iran, Israel and several Middle Eastern countries, seven days after the US and Israel launched an attack on Iran.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had led the country since 1989, was killed during the first wave of attacks. Israel said dozens of other senior figures in the powerful Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) were also killed, according to the BBC. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said last week that US forces had struck nearly 2,000 targets in Iran since Saturday.
The IRGC says it has carried out attacks on at least 27 targets in the Middle East where US troops are stationed, as well as Israeli military facilities in Tel Aviv and other parts of Israel. So far, Iran has launched attacks in nine countries in the region: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. An Iranian drone also struck the runway of a British military base in Cyprus.
Casualties till 5 March (from) commonslibrary.parliament, UK): Iran, 1,332 killed; Israel, 11; American soldiers, six; Bahrain, one; Iraq, two; United Arab Emirates, three; Kuwait, four; Lebanon, 123; Oman, one; Jordan, no deaths but five injured; Qatar, no deaths, but 16 injured; Saudi Arabia, no deaths or injuries.
“And sadly, there will likely be more (deaths) before this is over,” according to CNN.
The end does not justify the means. Killing innocent civilians, or those accused who have not yet been proven guilty, or even soldiers not fighting in a war cannot be justified in the universal morality of human co-existence. Human rights are all based on the right to live peacefully.
Duterte
Human Rights Watch accused former President Rodrigo R. described Duterte's alleged human rights crimes as follows: “Since taking office on June 30, 2016, Duterte has waged a 'war on drugs' that has led to the deaths of more than 12,000 Filipinos, mostly the urban poor. At least 2,555 killings have been attributed to the Philippine National Police. Duterte and other senior officials instigated and Killings in a campaign may amount to crimes against humanity.”
Duterte was arrested on March 11, 2025 by local authorities in Manila following an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on March 7. He is now in custody in The Hague, Netherlands, awaiting trial.
Recall August 2, 2021, when Duterte criticized the ICC, whose prosecutors wanted to open a full investigation of the drug war: “You know, if you really want me – it's over my dead body. You will be able to take me to the Netherlands only dead. You will have a dead body. I will not go there alive, you fool. But if I see you here, I will take the first step,” he threatened (AFP/philstar.comJune 28, 2022).
Other “kill, kill, kill” quotes from Duterte (ibid.):
“Hitler massacred 3 million Jews. Now (in the Philippines) there are 3 million drug addicts. I would be happy to kill them.”
“If you know of an addict, go ahead and beat them up yourself because it would be too painful to force their parents to do the same.”
“My orders are to the police and the army, also to the village officials, that if there is any trouble or such a situation arises that people fight and your life is in danger, then shoot them.”
“Just because you're a journalist doesn't exempt you from murder if you're a son of a bitch.”
Rodrigo Duterte has admitted to killing suspected criminals during his tenure as mayor of Davao City, CNN News noted in a December 2016 article, citing Duterte's idiosyncratic “bragging” about his willingness to kill, kill, kill: “In Davao, I used to do it personally. Just to show people that, if I can do it, why can't you do it?” Can?' Duterte said. 'And (I) will go around Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike and I will just patrol the streets and also look for trouble. “I was really looking for an encounter so I could kill.”
According to a CNN article, he made these comments at the Wallace Business Forum in Manila on December 12, 2016. Since taking power in June, Duterte has waged a brutal “war on drugs” that has been linked to more than 5,900 deaths in less than six months, CNN said.
On September 27, 2018, during a speech in front of government officials, Duterte said, “If you want, please Extrajudicial killings (My only sin is extrajudicial killings).” He also threatened to “blow the head” of the ICC prosecutor.
Duterte's then-spokesman, Harry Roque, later clarified that the president was “not serious” and was merely being “playful”, and what he meant to say was that extrajudicial killings were the only issue his administration was being accused of. (amnesty.caSeptember 28, 2018).
According to government figures, the death toll from the government's “war on drugs” from 1 July 2016 to 31 August 2018 is 4,854. However, human rights groups say the actual number could be up to three times this fiGur (ibid).
In 2018, the Senate launched a serious investigation into Duterte's extrajudicial killings (EJK) and his open approval of authoring and carrying out them. In a September 28 press release, Akbayan senator Risa Hontiveros posted, “Duterte must pay for his sin of extrajudicial killings.” Duterte's public admission of sinning on EJK on a large scale points to three important things:
1. It confirms the existence of Duterte's EJK
2. It establishes presidential accountability for assassination
3. It serves as evidence in the pursuit of justice.
“Indeed, a fish is caught by its mouth and a dishonest man by his deeds,” Ms. Hontiveros said. “President Duterte is the best witness against himself. By admitting to extrajudicial killings, he bears full responsibility and accountability for the countless cases of killings in our country. Sooner or later, President Duterte will have to pay for his sin of extrajudicial killings” (translated from Pilipino to English).
“Kill, kill, kill” can never be considered a playful “hyperbole” – not for Duterte, not for Trump, not for anyone in their normal mind who knows that killing is immoral and criminal. Only God gives life and takes life.
Duarte once said, “Who is this foolish God? This son of a whore is really a fool in this sense. You have created something exquisite and then you think of an incident that will tempt you and destroy the quality of your work.” But the excuse of insanity cannot protect him from ICC charges of crimes against humanity.
Amelia HC Ylagan is a Doctor of Business Administration from the University of the Philippines.
ahcylagan@yahoo.com