Democratic members of Congress in a letter to the Secretary of Defense: "We do not trust the military"

Democratic members of the US Congress have directed harsh criticism toward the US military. In a letter sent to US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the lawmakers demanded to conduct their own investigation into the Iranian attack in which six American military personnel were killed in early March. This is despite the fact that US forces have already begun their own internal investigation into the incident, as is customary.

In the letter they submitted, the lawmakers declared that "an independent investigation is necessary," emphasizing the following:

"We do not trust the objectivity of the internal military investigation and seek to determine whether US forces were provided with sufficient protection before the attack and whether the wounded received adequate medical treatment afterward."

What happened in this attack?

The attack occurred on the second day of Operation "Lion's Roar" against Iran, when an Iranian 'Shahed' type UAV crashed into a US military operations center at the Shuaiba port in Kuwait, killing six soldiers and wounding dozens.

In the months that followed, it was reported that some of the survivors accused military commanders of failing to take the necessary steps despite receiving prior warnings about weak defenses at the attacked facility. Some even claimed that wounded soldiers encountered significant difficulties in receiving the necessary treatment after the attack. In contrast, military officials rejected these accusations and insisted that the military handled the incident in accordance with accepted procedures.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon, which is responsible for the investigation, has yet to formulate its position regarding cooperation with the Congressional investigation, and only noted, in response to an inquiry from the American media, that it will provide a response directly to the lawmakers, "as is done with any correspondence received from Congress." The media additionally quoted an American official familiar with the investigation who said that the preliminary findings did not place responsibility for the attack on any party, nor did they include recommendations for disciplinary measures.

This issue will continue to occupy the US at least until the middle of next month, when the Department of Defense will have to provide an official response to the request and decide whether politicians will be allowed to investigate a military incident in which soldiers were killed outside the country's borders.