Trump Bombs the Caribbean…Thanks to the War on Terror {Adam's Riffs #8.1 (3.5.2026)}

This is the first part of a two-part Adam’s Riffs episode. In the first part, Adam takes a deep dive into the CIA-backed Afghan death squads called “Zero Units,” the Obama administration’s assassination/drone strike program, and how the War on Terror paved the way for the Trump administration to launch unilateral military strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean. (Recorded February 3, 2026)    If you liked this episode and want bonus content, subscribe for $5 a month to Real Sankara Hours on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/realsankarahours     Remember to LIKE, SHARE, and SUBSCRIBE!    Get Real Sankara Hours bonus content for $5 a month on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/realsankarahours Make a one-time donation to Real Sankara Hours on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/realsankarahours  Subscribe to Real Sankara Hours YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@realsankarahours   Socials, links, and where to listen to Real Sankara Hours https://linktr.ee/realsankarahours  Real Sankara Hours website: https://realsankarahours.org/    HELP the people of GAZA  Urgent Relief for Family in Gaza: https://chuffed.org/project/129265-urgent-relief-for-family-in-gaza  Gaza Food Aid Initiative: https://shorturl.at/q8WlF (Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cbcrew_etaam)  Gaza’s Roots: https://www.instagram.com/gazasroots  Links, research related to episode:   The First Person Who Reached Alex Pretti's Body Described What Confused Him Most Amid the Incident in Minneapolis https://shorturl.at/5TklV   Data/information on Latinos making up bulk of Border Patrol and ICE agents:   https://www.eeoc.gov/federal-sector/department-homeland-security-dhs-0  https://www.npr.org/2019/07/07/739288297/understanding-the-border-patrol  https://thetriibe.com/2026/01/commentary-the-making-of-an-ice-agent/  In-depth ProPublica report on the Afghan Zero Units https://www.propublica.org/article/afghanistan-night-raids-zero-units-lynzy-billing; key take aways: https://www.propublica.org/article/afghanistan-night-raids-zero-units-investigation-takeaways  The CIA’s Afghan Death Squads https://theintercept.com/2020/12/18/afghanistan-cia-militia-01-strike-force/  CIA’s Afghan Forces Leave a Trail of Abuse and Anger https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/31/world/asia/cia-afghanistan-strike-force.html  “They’ve Shot Many Like This” Abusive Night Raids by CIA-Backed Afghan Strike Forces https://www.hrw.org/report/2019/10/31/theyve-shot-many/abusive-night-raids-cia-backed-afghan-strike-forces  The National Guard shooting suspect was in one of the CIA’s “Zero Units” https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/11/28/national-guard-rahmanullah-lakanwal-shooting-suspect/  National Guard shooting suspect served in CIA counterterrorism unit, group says https://www.npr.org/2025/11/27/nx-s1-5623041/national-guard-shooting-suspect-cia-unit-afghanistan  National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom has died from injuries after D.C. shooting https://www.npr.org/2025/11/27/nx-s1-5622955/national-guard-shooting-washington-dc-updates  Rahmanullah Lakanwal May Have Been ‘Blackmailed’ by Taliban Before National Guard Shooting: Report https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/rahmanullah-lakanwal-may-blackmailed-taliban-130815353.html  ‘Today’s the day’: Video shows suspect shoot 2 Va. officers during traffic stop before fatal OIS https://www.police1.com/body-camera/todays-the-day-video-shows-suspect-shoot-2-va-officers-during-traffic-stop-before-fatal-ois (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOmqWNe9DrQ )  Fairfax police release body cam video of police shooting in Greenbriar https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/northern-virginia/fairfax-police-release-body-cam-video-of-police-shooting-in-greenbriar/3921110/  Armed Man Rants About Taliban and Opens Fire On Fairfax Cops in Fatal Traffic Stop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DchO6ciuJCs (full footage)  Asserting a License to Kill: Why the Caribbean Strike is a Dangerous Departure from the “War on Terror” https://www.justsecurity.org/120568/caribbean-strike-departure-war-on-terror/  Trump Directs Military to Target Foreign Drug Cartels https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/us/trump-military-drug-cartels.html  Collection: U.S. Lethal Strikes on Suspected Drug Traffickers, Operation Southern Spear, Operation Absolute Resolve https://www.justsecurity.org/120753/collection-u-s-lethal-strikes-on-suspected-drug-traffickers/  Murder by Drone: The Legal and Moral Stakes of the Caribbean Strikes https://www.justsecurity.org/120794/legal-moral-stakes-caribbean-strike/  Bombshell Lawsuit Could EXPOSE Trump Lies Over Boat Murders https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1luZgXZxQh4  2026 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill summary https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/fy26_homeland_security_conference_bill_summary.pdf  "Death By Metadata" Jeremy Scahill Slams Obama Drone Policy on MSNBC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QphqXvnN0mg  Jeremy Scahill Takes Down MSNBC Panel On Obama Foreign Policy 360p https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4ziOjNtg1g  How Google and the Big Tech Companies Are Helping Maintain America's Empire (by Adam Hudson) https://www.alternet.org/2014/08/how-google-and-big-tech-companies-are-helping-maintain-americas-empire#  The Assassination Complex https://theintercept.com/drone-papers/the-assassination-complex/  The NSA’s Secret Role in the U.S. Assassination Program https://theintercept.com/2014/02/10/the-nsas-secret-role/  Exclusive: ICE’s Secret Watchlists of Americans https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/ices-secret-watchlists-of-americans?utm_source=post-email-title  ICE CAUGHT w/ ILLEGAL ‘SECRET WATCH LIST’ OF AMERICANS https://youtu.be/AvCOfJ3lXUg?si=m31a4HXmLyKATAKS  ICE has spun a massive surveillance web. We talked to people caught in it https://www.npr.org/2026/03/04/nx-s1-5717031/ice-dhs-immigrants-surveillance-confrontation-deportation-mobile-fortify  Senate Democrats Block D.H.S. Funding Again Over Enforcement Guardrails https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/us/politics/senate-democrats-dhs-shutdown-ice-immigration.html  Trump fires Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-says-kristi-noem-stepping-homeland-security-secretary-rcna248719  House Passes H.R. 7744 to End Democrat Shutdown and Fully Fund Homeland Security https://appropriations.house.gov/news/press-releases/house-passes-hr-7744-end-democrat-shutdown-and-fully-fund-homeland-security  Clips:  AC-130 gun run https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F809jKdD-E  "Death By Metadata" Jeremy Scahill Slams Obama Drone Policy on MSNBC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QphqXvnN0mg  Jeremy Scahill Takes Down MSNBC Panel On Obama Foreign Policy 360p https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4ziOjNtg1g  Armed Man Rants About Taliban and Opens Fire On Fairfax Cops in Fatal Traffic Stop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DchO6ciuJCs    Adam’s Riffs intro. & outro  Adam Hudson – djembe (intro); drum kit (outro)     Real Sankara Hours is a Pan-African socialist political podcast that covers domestic and global politics, current events, race, Black radical political theory, and Black culture from a Pan-African socialist and Black Left perspective. It’s hosted by Adam Hudson and Peter MGunn.