The Washington Post spoke with Ecuadorian officials and locals for a report on the puzzling decision by U.S. authorities to free the two known survivors of the U.S. military strikes on alleged narco boats.

By letting the men go, rather than keep them in custody to find out more about their supposed operations, critics told the outlet that the Trump administration is trying to avoid greater scrutiny of its highly controversial strikes.

The whereabouts of at least one, Andrés Fernando Tufiño Chila, is not known, the newspaper said.

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