North Korea approves nuclear strike on U.S.

SEOUL, South Korea – The North Korean army said Thursday, April 4, it had final approval to launch “merciless” military strikes on the United States, involving the possible use of “cutting-edge” nuclear weapons.

In a statement published by the official KCNA news agency, the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army said it was formally informing Washington that US threats would be “smashed by… cutting-edge smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear strike means”.

“The merciless operation of (our) revolutionary armed forces in this regard has been finally examined and ratified,” the statement said.

Earlier The United States announced that it was deploying a THAAD missile defense battery to defend its bases on the Pacific island of Guam, following threats from North Korea.

The news that the ground-based system would be in place in the coming weeks came after two Aegis anti-missile destroyers were sent to the western Pacific to intercept any North Korean strike against US or allied targets.

The THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) is a truck-mounted system that can pinpoint an enemy missile launch, track the projectile and launch an interceptor to bring it down.

Guam is a US island territory 2,100 miles (3,380 kilometers) southeast of North Korea in the Pacific Ocean and is home to 6,000 American military personnel, including Marines and submarine and bomber crews. – Rappler.com