House and Senate committees launch inquiries into reported second strike on alleged drug boat
The House and Senate committees have initiated investigations into a reported second strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean in September, which resulted in the deaths of survivors from an initial strike. According to The Washington Post, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth allegedly issued a verbal order to kill everyone on board a vessel suspected of carrying drugs on September 2, the first of nearly two dozen strikes on other vessels in the region since that day. The Post's reporting is based on interviews with seven individuals with knowledge of the September 2 strike and the overall operation.
The Post reported that after an initial strike left two survivors, the commander overseeing the attack ordered a second strike to kill them. NBC News has not independently confirmed The Washington Post's reporting.
The top Republican and Democrat on the GOP-led Senate Armed Services Committee stated that the committee is aware of recent reports and has directed inquiries to the Department of Defense. They committed to vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances.
The Republican-led House Armed Services Committee followed suit, with a joint statement from Reps. Mike Rogers and Adam Smith, expressing their commitment to providing rigorous oversight of the Department of Defense's military operations in the Caribbean. They emphasized their concern over the reports of follow-on strikes on boats alleged to be ferrying narcotics in the SOUTHCOM region and are taking bipartisan action to gather a full accounting of the operation.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment. However, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell refuted the narrative, stating it was entirely false. He claimed that ongoing operations to dismantle narcoterrorism and protect the Homeland from deadly drugs have been highly successful.
Hegseth posted on X, emphasizing that the strikes were intended to be lethal and kinetic, aimed at stopping lethal drugs, destroying narco-boats, and killing narco-terrorists poisoning the American people. He asserted that every trafficker killed is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization, and that the operations are lawful under U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict.
These committee inquiries come amidst President Donald Trump's administration's mounting pressure on Venezuela, following nearly two dozen known strikes on vessels in the region, resulting in at least 82 deaths. Trump has suggested closing Venezuela's airspace and has indicated that his administration will not seek congressional approval for targeting drug traffickers, stating that they will simply kill those bringing drugs into the country.
The strikes have sparked concerns in Congress about the lack of information from administration officials, and Trump's comments have raised questions about the ethical implications of such actions.
