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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Joseph Gedeon in Washington

Defense department watchdog opens inquiry into US airstrikes on alleged drug boats

A woman lights a candle at an alter with pictures of a young man.
Lynette Burnley mourns her nephew Chad Joseph, who family members say was killed in a US airstrike, in Trinidad and Tobago on 22 October 2025. Photograph: Andrea de Silva/Reuters

The Pentagon’s internal watchdog has opened an investigation into whether US military commanders followed proper procedures when conducting boat strikes in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific.

The office of inspector general at the Department of Defense is examining whether military commanders stuck to the standard six-step process the US military is required to follow before approving and carrying out lethal strikes, according to an 11 May memo initiating the review.

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