US Attack on Alleged Drug Boat Unlikely Justified as 'War Crime', Says Former Defense Secretary
A US military strike on an alleged drug boat in September, which was initially reported as a single-target operation, appears to have involved multiple airstrikes - raising serious questions about the proportionality and necessity of the attack. This revelation comes after a bombshell report by The Washington Post, suggesting that the initial assault was not enough to eliminate all targets, prompting the US military to launch additional strikes specifically targeting any survivors.
According to former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who discussed this incident with "CBS Evening News" co-anchor John Dickerson, such an attack could be considered a 'war crime'. The term is often used in international humanitarian law to describe attacks that cause unnecessary harm or loss of life. In Panetta's view, the repeated strikes on the vessel may have put innocent lives at risk.
Critics argue that the use of multiple airstrikes on a single target, even with the intention of neutralizing a potential threat, raises significant concerns about accountability and respect for international law. The incident highlights the need for greater transparency in military operations and the importance of examining each strike through the lens of proportionality and necessity.
As news outlets continue to scrutinize this incident, it is imperative that policymakers and military leaders provide clear explanations for their actions and engage in open discussions about the morality of targeting alleged drug boats.
A US military strike on an alleged drug boat in September, which was initially reported as a single-target operation, appears to have involved multiple airstrikes - raising serious questions about the proportionality and necessity of the attack. This revelation comes after a bombshell report by The Washington Post, suggesting that the initial assault was not enough to eliminate all targets, prompting the US military to launch additional strikes specifically targeting any survivors.
According to former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who discussed this incident with "CBS Evening News" co-anchor John Dickerson, such an attack could be considered a 'war crime'. The term is often used in international humanitarian law to describe attacks that cause unnecessary harm or loss of life. In Panetta's view, the repeated strikes on the vessel may have put innocent lives at risk.
Critics argue that the use of multiple airstrikes on a single target, even with the intention of neutralizing a potential threat, raises significant concerns about accountability and respect for international law. The incident highlights the need for greater transparency in military operations and the importance of examining each strike through the lens of proportionality and necessity.
As news outlets continue to scrutinize this incident, it is imperative that policymakers and military leaders provide clear explanations for their actions and engage in open discussions about the morality of targeting alleged drug boats.
It's crazy how a single target op can turn into multiple airstrikes, right? 
I mean, if the initial assault wasn't enough to take out all targets, what's the point of going in again and again? That just seems like a recipe for disaster. And now Leon Panetta is saying it could be considered a war crime? 
Yeah, I can see why he'd think that way. The idea of innocent lives being put at risk because of some overzealous military operation is just not right. What's the point of "winning" if you're just going to lose people along the way? 
️
and I'm still trying to process what happened with that US attack on the alleged drug boat 
. And what's up with all these airstrikes? You'd think they'd want to minimize collateral damage, you know? 
I'm just not sure I agree that this wasn't some kind of war crime... isn't that a pretty serious accusation? 
. If this was really just about taking out a bad guy, why did they need to keep firing? It's like they were trying to make sure everyone on board got hurt, even if they weren't directly involved in whatever nefarious activities the boat was allegedly doing 
. First, it's a single-target op, then suddenly there are multiple airstrikes? That's not how you do counter-narcotics ops, fam 
.
.
. We need to have some serious discussions about how we're handling these kinds of situations.
! How could they just keep hitting the same target over and over again? 
. I mean, what's the point of taking out a whole ship just to kill the bad guys? 
. It's all about accountability now 
! The government needs to step up and explain themselves 
. This whole situation is super suspicious 
and it makes me wanna demand more transparency from our military leaders 
. Can't we just talk things out instead of resorting to violence? 
