The BareStory
The U.S. military’s actions during a September 2 strike on a boat in the Caribbean Sea are facing congressional inquiry after it was confirmed a second strike was ordered to kill two survivors. Following the initial attack, which officials said killed 11 alleged drug smugglers, a subsequent strike targeted the two individuals who remained. Bipartisan leaders of the House and Senate armed services committees have announced they are looking into the matter.
There are conflicting accounts regarding the order for the second strike. The White House press secretary confirmed that Adm. Mitch Bradley, commander of Special Operations Command, gave the order. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied ordering the second strike, stating Adm. Bradley made the decision independently but that he stood by it. Hegseth later said he did not see survivors on video due to explosion and smoke, calling it the "fog of war." One report, citing two people with direct knowledge, alleged Hegseth had previously given a spoken order to kill everyone on board.
President Donald Trump characterized those on the boat as "positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists" and alleged, in a claim denied by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, that the boat was under Maduro's control. On October 23, Hegseth stated that suspects on such boats would be treated "like foreign terrorist organizations" and that the Department of War would "defeat and destroy" them.
The administration has reported conducting 20 more strikes against boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since September 2, resulting in a total of 83 deaths. The "double tap" nature of the September 2 incident has led some lawmakers and legal analysts to claim that targeting shipwrecked survivors could be considered a war crime. Adm. Bradley is scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill about the operation.
How it may affect me
As a U.S. reader:
• The congressional investigation and war crime allegations could lead to changes in the U.S. military’s rules of engagement for future counter-narcotics operations.
• This event is part of a broader military campaign, with 20 similar strikes reported, signaling an escalated U.S. counter-narcotics policy in the Caribbean.
• Conflicting reports from officials on who ordered the strike may affect public understanding of transparency and accountability in the military chain of command.
