WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Southern Command confirmed Thursday that it carried out another lethal strike on a small boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, marking the 22nd attack in a months-long campaign directed by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. The latest operation killed four suspected drug traffickers and brought the total number of deaths since early September to at least 87. The Trump administration has classified operators on certain maritime narcotics routes as a Designated Terrorist Organization, arguing that expanded wartime authorities are justified.
The strike followed a nearly three-week pause and occurred on the same day Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley delivered closed-door testimony on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers are investigating the first strike in the campaign after reporting surfaced that Bradley ordered a second attack on survivors of a September 2 incident. Bradley denied there was ever a “kill them all” directive from Hegseth but acknowledged the sequence of events shown in classified video raised difficult questions.
A video released by Southern Command shows a small vessel crossing the water before being engulfed in an explosion, then burning as smoke billows upward. Lawmakers described the classified footage differently: Sen. Tom Cotton said survivors appeared to be trying to flip a drug-laden boat “to stay in the fight,” while Rep. Jim Himes called it “one of the most troubling things” he has seen in public service. Rep. Adam Smith said the individuals were unarmed and in distress before being struck.
Legal experts warn that killing survivors at sea could violate the laws of armed conflict, adding to scrutiny of President Donald Trump’s expanded use of military force against suspected smugglers.
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