US lawmakers are pressing the Trump administration for answers about military strikes on suspected Venezuelan drug boats, after a report alleged that a follow-up strike was ordered to kill survivors of an initial attack.
Republican-led committees overseeing the Pentagon have vowed to conduct vigorous oversight into the US boat strikes in the Caribbean, following the report. On Friday, The Washington Post reported that a US strike on a boat on September 2 left two survivors, but that a second attack was carried out to comply with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's orders to kill everybody on board - raising fresh legality questions.
Hegseth decried the report as fake news. On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said he believed his defense secretary 100%. In recent weeks, the US has expanded its military presence in the Caribbean and carried out a series of lethal strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in international waters off Venezuela and Colombia, as part of what it describes as an anti-narcotics operation. More than 80 people have died since early September.
The Trump administration asserts that it is acting in self-defense by destroying boats carrying illicit drugs to the US. The rules of engagement in such armed conflicts - as articulated in the Geneva Conventions - prohibit targeting wounded participants, stating those individuals should instead be apprehended and provided care.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers appearing on US talk shows expressed their support for congressional reviews of the boat strikes. They acknowledged uncertainty about the accuracy of The Washington Post's report but indicated that attacking survivors raises significant legal concerns.
This rises to the level of a war crime if it's true, stated Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, while Republican lawmaker Mike Turner noted that if a follow-up strike indeed occurred, it would constitute a serious illegal act. Following these developments, the Republican-led Senate Armed Services Committee announced plans for vigorous oversight of the strikes, with the House Armed Services Committee also taking bipartisan action to investigate.
In response to these allegations, Hegseth claimed the strikes were lawful under both US and international law, stating, Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization. Trump's comments on the situation included a declaration that he had recently spoken with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, although he offered no further details.
Venezuela's National Assembly has condemned the strikes, announcing an intention to conduct a thorough investigation into claims of a second attack that may have resulted in the deaths of survivors. The ongoing military action and its implications for international law continue to raise serious concerns among lawmakers and international observers alike.
Republican-led committees overseeing the Pentagon have vowed to conduct vigorous oversight into the US boat strikes in the Caribbean, following the report. On Friday, The Washington Post reported that a US strike on a boat on September 2 left two survivors, but that a second attack was carried out to comply with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's orders to kill everybody on board - raising fresh legality questions.
Hegseth decried the report as fake news. On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said he believed his defense secretary 100%. In recent weeks, the US has expanded its military presence in the Caribbean and carried out a series of lethal strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in international waters off Venezuela and Colombia, as part of what it describes as an anti-narcotics operation. More than 80 people have died since early September.
The Trump administration asserts that it is acting in self-defense by destroying boats carrying illicit drugs to the US. The rules of engagement in such armed conflicts - as articulated in the Geneva Conventions - prohibit targeting wounded participants, stating those individuals should instead be apprehended and provided care.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers appearing on US talk shows expressed their support for congressional reviews of the boat strikes. They acknowledged uncertainty about the accuracy of The Washington Post's report but indicated that attacking survivors raises significant legal concerns.
This rises to the level of a war crime if it's true, stated Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, while Republican lawmaker Mike Turner noted that if a follow-up strike indeed occurred, it would constitute a serious illegal act. Following these developments, the Republican-led Senate Armed Services Committee announced plans for vigorous oversight of the strikes, with the House Armed Services Committee also taking bipartisan action to investigate.
In response to these allegations, Hegseth claimed the strikes were lawful under both US and international law, stating, Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization. Trump's comments on the situation included a declaration that he had recently spoken with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, although he offered no further details.
Venezuela's National Assembly has condemned the strikes, announcing an intention to conduct a thorough investigation into claims of a second attack that may have resulted in the deaths of survivors. The ongoing military action and its implications for international law continue to raise serious concerns among lawmakers and international observers alike.
