Questions mount over US attack in Caribbean Sea that killed survivors on boat allegedly carrying drugs
A US navy admiral will provide a classified briefing to lawmakers overseeing the military on Thursday as they investigate a US attack on a boat in the Caribbean Sea allegedly carrying drugs that included a second strike that killed any survivors.
The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, on Monday said the second strike was carried out “in self-defence” and in accordance with laws governing armed conflict.
Bipartisan scrutiny has mounted over a report that Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, issued a verbal order in September to strike the vessel.
Democrats have said the allegations, first reported last week by the Washington Post, could amount to a war crime, and Republicans have also voiced their concerns about the legality of the attack on 2 September. The House and Senate armed services committees have opened investigations into the recent US military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean.
