WASHINGTON — On Thursday, the U.S. Southern Command announced a new military strike targeting a small vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, marking a resumption after nearly three weeks without action.
This operation represents the 22nd military strike carried out by the U.S. in both the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean, as part of the Trump administration’s efforts against alleged drug trafficking operations.
Thursday’s strike resulted in four casualties, according to details shared on social media. This brings the total number of fatalities in the ongoing campaign to at least 87.
A video released alongside the announcement captures a small boat traversing the ocean before it is engulfed by a dramatic explosion. The footage then pans out, showing the vessel in flames and shrouded in smoke.
This latest strike coincided with Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley’s appearance at the U.S. Capitol for a series of classified briefings with lawmakers. These sessions are part of an investigation into the military’s initial strike, which took place on September 2. The inquiry follows reports that Bradley allegedly ordered a subsequent attack on survivors to satisfy directives from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
During the briefings, Bradley denied any “kill them all” directive from Hegseth. However, a stark video documenting the sequence of attacks has left some lawmakers with pressing questions.
Legal experts have said killing survivors of a strike at sea could be a violation of the laws of military warfare.
Bradley spoke to lawmakers alongside the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, in a classified session. His testimony provided fresh information at a crucial moment as Hegseth’s leadership comes under scrutiny, but it did little to resolve growing questions about the legal basis for President Donald Trump’s extraordinary campaign to use war powers against suspected drug smugglers.
Lawmakers offered differing accounts of what they saw on the video.
Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas said he saw the survivors “trying to flip a boat loaded with drugs bound for United States back over so they could stay in the fight.”
Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said, “What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service.”
“You have two individuals in clear distress, without any means of locomotion, with a destroyed vessel,” he said, adding they “were killed by the United States.”
Washington Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said the survivors were “basically two shirtless people clinging to the bow of a capsized and inoperable boat, drifting in the water – until the missiles come and kill them.”
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