Video Footage of Second Strike on Suspected Drug Boat Leaves Lawmakers Divided
The US military's second strike on a suspected drug boat in September has left lawmakers stunned and outraged, with some hailing it as necessary self-defense while others decried it as an unconscionable attack on survivors.
A closed-door meeting between lawmakers and military brass revealed disturbing footage of the operation, which showed a suspect vessel being struck twice, leaving two people clinging to wreckage. The video has sparked intense debate, with Democrats expressing outrage at the targeting of incapacitated survivors, while Republicans defended the strikes as lawful and necessary.
The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate and House Armed Services committees viewed the footage, which has been described by some lawmakers as "highly questionable" and "one of the most troubling scenes I've ever seen." Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash) called it a "big problem" that requires a full investigation.
The Trump administration's justification for the strike - that the survivors were capable of returning to the fight - has been disputed by many, including fellow Democrat Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn), who described the scene as "deeply disturbing." Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I) echoed his concerns, stating that he was "deeply disturbed" by the footage.
Not all lawmakers shared these views, however. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark) defended the strike, calling it "righteous" and "highly lawful and lethal." Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark) praised the military's professionalism in carrying out the operation.
International criticism has also mounted, with Volker Türk, the U.N.'s human rights chief, accusing the strikes of being "unacceptable." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attributed the incident to the "fog of war," while Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described it as self-defense.
The US military's second strike on a suspected drug boat in September has left lawmakers stunned and outraged, with some hailing it as necessary self-defense while others decried it as an unconscionable attack on survivors.
A closed-door meeting between lawmakers and military brass revealed disturbing footage of the operation, which showed a suspect vessel being struck twice, leaving two people clinging to wreckage. The video has sparked intense debate, with Democrats expressing outrage at the targeting of incapacitated survivors, while Republicans defended the strikes as lawful and necessary.
The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate and House Armed Services committees viewed the footage, which has been described by some lawmakers as "highly questionable" and "one of the most troubling scenes I've ever seen." Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash) called it a "big problem" that requires a full investigation.
The Trump administration's justification for the strike - that the survivors were capable of returning to the fight - has been disputed by many, including fellow Democrat Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn), who described the scene as "deeply disturbing." Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I) echoed his concerns, stating that he was "deeply disturbed" by the footage.
Not all lawmakers shared these views, however. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark) defended the strike, calling it "righteous" and "highly lawful and lethal." Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark) praised the military's professionalism in carrying out the operation.
International criticism has also mounted, with Volker Türk, the U.N.'s human rights chief, accusing the strikes of being "unacceptable." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attributed the incident to the "fog of war," while Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described it as self-defense.
... seems like a no-brainer that they were just tryin to stay alive after bein attacked already. i mean, we've got laws against targetin innocent civilians in combat situations, so why is this different? 
the footage looks super intense, and it's crazy that ppl are defendin the military's actions as if they're doin nothin wrong 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this video footage of the second strike on that suspected drug boat 
. Two people were left clinging to wreckage after the first hit, and you can't even imagine what they must've gone through. It's crazy how lawmakers are divided on this - some see it as a necessary act of self-defense, while others think it was an attack on survivors who were already incapacitated 
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. It's like they expected these people to magically recover from being hurt and jump back into action.
. As a society, we need to be having more thoughtful conversations about these kinds of situations and how they're handled. We can't just assume that everyone in a life-or-death situation has the capacity to fight back 
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The fact that some lawmakers are defending this as a lawful strike just blows me away 
. And what's with the "fog of war" excuse from Defense Secretary Hegseth? That sounds like just plain ol' cover-up to me 
. Anyway, I'm definitely curious to see how this all plays out 
. The government's tryin' to spin this as self-defense, but we all know that's just a cover-up 
. Two people are left clingin' to the wreckage after two strikes? That's straight outta a war movie, bro 
. And don't even get me started on the Trump admin's claim that the survivors were still capable of returnin' to the fight... please 
. Mark my words, we're just startin' to scratch the surface here...
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. And yeah, the Trump administration's explanation might not hold up under scrutiny (or lack thereof), but that doesn't mean the intent was malicious – there might've been a split-second decision made in the heat of battle 
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. The fact that Volker Türk from the U.N. is speaking out against this incident shows us that international bodies are taking notice, and we might see some real changes come out of this 
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The whole 'they were still capable of returning to the fight' thing is just a bunch of bulls**t, it doesn't matter if they're good for another strike or not - those two people are already hurt!
what if they were innocent bystanders? i feel like we should be more careful with our military actions before we unleash strikes on 'suspected' vessels. 
The fact that some lawmakers are defending this as a necessary act of self-defense just makes me shake my head. Have we lost all sense of humanity in the process of fighting against crime? I think the U.N.'s human rights chief is spot on when he calls it "unacceptable". We need to be more careful about how we approach these situations and prioritize saving lives over taking them. 
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. It's just not right. And don't even get me started on the fact that the Trump admin is saying the survivors were still a threat - come on, that's just ridiculous 
. We need some real answers here, not just some vague claims about "fog of war" and whatnot 
. It's time to put an end to this BS and have a real conversation about what we're doing over there 
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. Volker Türk's accusations that the strikes were "unacceptable" might be a bit dramatic, but I get where he's coming from. We need more transparency and accountability in these situations - it's just common sense 
... I don't get why our politicians can't just agree on what's good for the country for once? 
. Anyway, it's clear that this whole thing has left a lot of people feeling uneasy and unsure about how our military is handling things 
... I mean, two people left clinging to wreckage? That's not even counting the survivors who might have been injured or traumatized by this whole ordeal 
Can't we find a better way to protect our interests without putting innocent lives at risk? 
the part where they're strikin' twice seems so harsh to me 
and whaaat's w/ the military sayin they knew survivors were capable of returnin 2 the fight? 
... meanwhile, international critics like Volker Türk from the U.N. are calling out the strikes as unacceptable 