US senator says attack on Caribbean boat did not break the law: Reports

ISTANBUL

In the US Senate, Republican Senator Roger Wicker, who chairs the committee investigating a second military strike on the wreckage of a Venezuelan boat suspected of transporting drugs in the Caribbean, said he saw “no evidence of war crimes” in the incident.

The US Congress continues to investigate how following a Sept. 2 attack on a vessel allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean, the military carried out a second strike targeting two survivors of the shipwreck. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has publicly admitted to the strike and claims it was legal.

According to The Washington Post, committees in both chambers of Congress that are separately reviewing the second strike – which has drawn considerable controversy – have signaled that they may move to close their investigations.

Wicker said he believes that the attacks carried out by the administration of US President Donald Trump in Latin America were conducted “based on sound legal advice.”

His remarks came a day after Republican Congressman Mike Rogers, chair of the House Armed Services Committee, announced that he would also move to end the parallel investigation.

However, some Democratic members of Congress have pushed back, arguing that both investigations should remain open and calling for their scope to be expanded.

Under the US military rules of engagement, firing on combatants who no longer pose any threat is forbidden, and may even constitute a war crime. Survivors of a shipwreck at sea clinging to pieces of the destroyed ship are a textbook example of that.

Earlier this month, Trump said he would have “no problem” releasing tape of the second strike, but later walked back that comment, and Hegseth said the tape might only be shown to more members of Congress, if at all.

The strikes on Caribbean boats in general are themselves controversial, as the Defense Department has not released any evidence that the boats were carrying drugs, and destroying the boats amounts to summary execution of those on board, who have no chance to defend themselves.

In addition, Congress – which under the Constitution has the sole authority to declare war – has not authorized any such attacks on boats.