A Navy admiral commanding the US military strikes on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean told lawmakers on Thursday that there was no “kill them all” order from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth but a stark video of the attack left grave questions as Congress scrutinises the campaign that killed two people.
Admiral Frank Bradley appeared for a series of closed-door classified briefings at the Capitol as lawmakers conduct an investigation after a report that he ordered the follow-on attack that killed two survivors to comply with Hegesth’s demands. Legal experts have said such a strike could be a violation of the laws of military warfare.
“Bradley was very clear that he was given no such order, to give no quarter or to kill them all,” said Senator Tom Cotton, who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, as he exited a classified briefing.
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While Arkansas congressman Cotton defended the attack, Democrats who were also briefed and saw video of the survivors being killed questioned the Trump administration’s rationale and said the incident was deeply concerning.
“The order was basically: Destroy the drugs, kill the 11 people on the boat,” said Washington congressman Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.
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Smith, who is demanding further investigation, 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”.