The Defense Department’s internal watchdog has said it is evaluating US Southern Command’s operations that have included strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.
It comes as the strikes, which have targeted nearly 60 vessels and killed over 190 people since they began last fall, have been heavily scrutinized by legal experts, members of Congress and even some military lawyers within the Pentagon.
The inspector general’s objective is to determine whether SOUTHCOM followed approved targeting methods when conducting the operations, according to a letter dated May 11 from the Pentagon’s inspector general’s office.
A spokesperson for the inspector general’s office confirmed to CNN that the scope of the evaluation includes “the joint process for targeted vessels in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility as part of Operation Southern Spear,” which is the Pentagon’s name for its campaign against drug trafficking.
The inspector general’s office added the project was “self-initiated” based on its “ongoing assessment” of Pentagon operations.
