Nationwide — The US military is under scrutiny after a September strike carried out during Trump’s broader anti-narcotics campaign killed two men clinging to a capsized drug boat. Lawmakers later learned the survivors had no way to call for help, raising concerns about a possible war crime.
Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley briefed Congress this week and confirmed the two survivors had no radios or communication devices. That statement clashed with earlier claims from defense officials who suggested the men were trying to call for backup. Those earlier explanations had been used to justify treating the survivors as active threats.
According to CNN, the strike began with two missiles hitting a suspected cocaine boat on September 2. The blast split the vessel in half, killed nine people instantly, and left two men holding onto the overturned wreckage. Surveillance footage showed them struggling for nearly an hour as the command center debated its next move.
Bradley said he ordered a second strike after deciding the remaining section of the boat still held cocaine. He argued the men could survive, reach safety, and continue trafficking drugs. One official who viewed the footage called that reasoning “f**king insane,” highlighting deep disagreement among those briefed.
Members of Congress who saw the same video reached starkly different conclusions. Sen. Tom Cotton said he watched two men trying to flip the boat to continue their mission. Rep. Jim Himes said the footage showed the US military killing shipwrecked people who had no weapons, tools, or ability to flee.
The Trump administration’s shifting explanations drew even more questions. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth initially dismissed reports of a second strike as fabricated. Days later, the White House confirmed the second strike and said Bradley issued the order. According to lawmakers, Bradley said Hegseth supported lethal operations but did not know about the survivors until after they were dead.
The legal justification for the entire campaign remains unclear. Since early September, the military has carried out more than 20 similar strikes on boats labeled as “narco terrorists,” killing at least 87 people. Legal experts say killing shipwrecked people may violate the law of war, and senators are pressing for answers on why the missions continue.