US Lawmakers Demand Release of Video from Deadly Caribbean Boat Strike

Lawmakers in the United States are calling for the public release of video footage showing a controversial “double-tap” military strike on a boat in the Caribbean, as questions grow over the legality of the Trump administration’s anti–drug trafficking operations.

The bipartisan demand follows a closed-door briefing last week in which members of Congress were shown the video of a September 2 strike that targeted a vessel suspected of drug smuggling. According to reports, the initial attack disabled the boat, after which a second strike was ordered, killing two survivors who had remained alive.

Democrats and Republicans who viewed the footage later gave sharply different accounts of what they saw. Senior Democrat Adam Smith said the boat had already been “clearly incapacitated” and that the survivors were unarmed and posed no threat.

“They should release the video so the American people can see the truth for themselves,” Smith said in a media interview, adding that it would be difficult to justify the second strike once the footage becomes public.

Jim Himes, another leading Democrat, said the public deserves to witness the reality of such operations. He described the victims as men clinging to wreckage in the water, warning that the full force of the US military was used against individuals who were no longer a threat.

Several Republican lawmakers said they would not oppose the release of the footage, even while defending the strike. Senator Tom Cotton said he did not find the video disturbing and compared it to similar US military strikes carried out in other regions over the years.

The debate has also drawn in the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said officials are considering whether releasing the video would be “responsible,” while denying reports that he ordered commanders to leave no survivors.

President Donald Trump has said he would have “no problem” with releasing the video. His administration has carried out at least 22 strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific since September.

Human rights lawyers, however, argue that the entire campaign is unlawful. Legal experts say the US is not acting within a recognized armed conflict zone, meaning the strikes may qualify as criminal killings under both domestic and international law.

At least 87 people have been killed so far in the strikes, yet the US government has not publicly released evidence proving that the targeted boats were transporting narcotics, heading to the United States, or operated by internationally designated cartels.

The growing pressure from Congress is now putting the White House and the Pentagon under intense scrutiny over transparency, accountability, and the true cost of Washington’s militarized war on drug trafficking.

Source: Al Jazeera