Second Strike on Disabled Boat a Clear Violation of war Laws, Retired General Says
WASHINGTON – A second strike by U.S. forces on a disabled vessel in the Red Sea, resulting in the deaths of two individuals clinging to wreckage, was a clear violation of international law, according to retired Major General Steven Lepper. the assessment comes following scrutiny of surveillance video depicting the incident and raises questions about adherence to the laws of war, even within U.S. special operations forces.
The incident centers on a boat disabled after an initial strike. International law dictates that combatants opposing a force, once hors de combat – rendered incapable of fighting – are to be protected, not targeted. According to Lepper, and as outlined in the Defense Department Law of war manual, this protection extends explicitly to those “wounded, sick, or shipwrecked.” The manual states making such individuals the object of attack is “strictly prohibited.”
“If the surveillance video showed two survivors clinging to wreckage, then there is no question that this was an unlawful order to target those two survivors,” Lepper stated in a PBS NewsHour interview. “There is nothing in international or domestic U.S.law that would justify a second strike intended to kill those two survivors.”
The Law of War Manual itself provides a specific example of shooting survivors in the water as an unlawful order, applicable to all U.S. forces, regardless of specialization. Lepper firmly dismissed the notion that special operations forces operate outside the bounds of established law. “The rules apply to everyone, whether they are special operations forces or regular military forces,” he emphasized.
The incident has sparked debate about accountability and the interpretation of rules of engagement in ongoing military operations. The U.S. military has not yet publicly addressed the specific allegations of a legal violation.
