U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday denied witnessing a reported follow-up strike that allegedly killed survivors from a drug boat in the Caribbean. He said he saw the initial strike live but did not see any survivors because the vessel was engulfed in flames and smoke. Hegseth called it 'the fog of war.'
The Washington Post reported on Friday that Hegseth had given a verbal order to kill everyone aboard the suspected drug vessels before the September 2 operation—the first known U.S. boat strike in Latin American international waters. Two survivors clinging to the burning vessel were reportedly killed in the follow-up attack.
President Donald Trump said he was unaware of any second strike: 'I didn’t know about the second strike. I didn’t know anything about people I wasn’t involved in. I knew they took out a boat. But I would say this, they had a strike. I hear the gentleman that was in charge of that is extraordinary.'
Later on Tuesday, Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson also rejected the Post’s account as totally fabricated, citing comments by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. He said the decision to restrike the vessel was made by Admiral Bradley under existing authorities to ensure the threat to the United States was eliminated.
Over the weekend, bipartisan inquiries by Republican-led armed services committees in both the House and Senate began probing the alleged second strike, which was reportedly aimed at finishing off survivors of the initial attack.
Since early September, the Pentagon has carried out more than 20 known strikes on alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean, killing over 80 people on board. The wave of operations has raised fresh debates about transparency and rules of engagement at sea. 🤔⚓️
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
