The US has insisted that any attacks on 11,000 North Koreans fighting for Russia are legitimate.
The Pentagon believes North Korean Troops fighting in Russia’s Armed Forces are a « fair target » for Ukrainian strikes.
« Where they are positioned they are absolutely fair target, and we absolutely expect them to be engaged in the fight », Deputy Press Secretary for the Department of Defense Sabrina Singh told reporters Thursday.
On Monday, the Pentagon said that an estimated 11,000 North Korean soldiers had embedded with Russian forces in the Kursk region.
While Singh could not confirm that they had engaged in combat operations, she said that these troops would nevertheless be regarded as co-belligerents in the conflict with Ukraine.
« By bringing in another foreign country into the battlefield, by bringing in over 11,000 DPRK soldiers into the fight, that is an escalatory action », Singh said.
« We’ve said very clearly that the introduction of DPRK soldiers into the fight, especially when it comes to Ukraine’s sovereignty, means they are a fair game in that fight. And so, they would be considered lawful military targets », she added.
