US boat strikes likely killed people 'not involved in narcotrafficking', Kaine says

Senator says the strikes have not fit administration's legal targeting criteria. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said in a letter to the White House that the military has “exceeded” the parameters of President Donald Trump’s orders in striking alleged drug-smuggling vessels as a part of its counternarcotics operation. Kaine, who wrote to Trump that he had reviewed a so-called “execute order” signed by the president, which includes targeting criteria for the boat strikes, said the strikes on vessels in the Pacific and Caribbean, which began last September, have likely "killed individuals who are not involved in narcotrafficking." Briefings and notifications provided to the Senate Armed Services Committee, of which Kaine is a senior Democrat, include information on the targets, he said. The strikes have killed at least 218 people, according to ABC News' count. The Pentagon has spent over $820 million on the campaign, which is known as Operation Southern Spear, according to a recent inspector general report.

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