Trump Hails IСС Refusal to Probe US for War Crimes in Afghanistan

"The threat it poses to American national sovereignty; and other deficiencies… render it illegitimate", Trump said. "Any attempt to target American, Israeli, or allied personnel for prosecution will be met with a swift and vigorous response".

The statement comes after the International Criminal Court said in a statement earlier in the day, that it decided to decline the request of Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to launch an inquiry into allegations of war crimes perpetrated by US forces in Afghanistan.

According to the International Criminal Court, the request established a reasonable basis for investigation, however, the situation in Afghanistan has changed and much time has elapsed since the opening of the preliminary examination in 2006.

READ MORE: US Revokes Visa of International Court Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda — Office

In addition, the International Criminal Court noted the lack of cooperation the prosecutor had received that could significantly complicate the process and severely affect its results.

In March, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the United States would impose visa restrictions and possibly economic sanctions on individuals linked to any International Criminal Court investigation into alleged war crimes by US personnel in Afghanistan or by US allies, particularly Israel, elsewhere.

Since the creation of the ICC, the United States has consistently declined to join the court because of what it said was its broad, unaccountable prosecutorial powers, and has threatened military action to free any American detained by the court.

Bensouda had begun a preliminary probe of US Army and CIA personnel involved in waterboarding and other forms of torture from December 2002 and March 2008 during interrogations of terror suspects.