U.S. Military's Controversial Boat Strike: Survivors' Accounts Raise Questions

On September 2, the U.S. military launched a controversial attack on a vessel in the Caribbean, resulting in the deaths of two survivors from an earlier strike. According to CBS News, these survivors were seen waving before the follow-up strike that killed them, raising serious questions about military engagement rules.

Lawmakers viewed a video of the strikes during closed-door testimony, with Democratic Rep. Jim Himes calling the footage troubling as it showed the survivors in distress. In contrast, Republican Sen. Tom Cotton argued that they were attempting to re-engage in combat.

The Intercept reported that the two men clung to wreckage for about 45 minutes, signaling for help or surrender, contrary to military claims that they posed a threat. Adm. Frank Bradley, who ordered the second strike, suggested that the survivors could have rejoined drug trafficking efforts despite the lack of evidence supporting this claim.

Criticism has emerged from both sides of Congress, with some labeling the strikes as potential war crimes due to the absence of imminent threat from the survivors, as highlighted by legal experts. The military's actions have sparked a heated debate about accountability and the legality of targeting individuals in such situations, especially given that the only accusation against the survivors was drug trafficking, a non-lethal offense.

The strikes have reportedly killed at least 87 civilians since the campaign began, leading to broader discussions about the justification of military actions in counter-narcotics operations.