A U.S. military operation in the Caribbean Sea targeting suspected drug smugglers has come under scrutiny following reports of a direct order to eliminate all individuals on board a vessel, even after an initial attack left survivors. The incident,which occurred September 2nd and involved a second strike authorized to ensure no one escaped,is raising serious legal and ethical questions about the Trump administration’s approach to counter-narcotics operations and the rules of engagement authorized to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Details emerging from multiple sources suggest the operation resulted in the deaths of civilians and could expose involved personnel to potential prosecution.
A U.S. military operation in the Caribbean resulted in the deaths of civilians after an order was given to eliminate all individuals on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel, according to multiple sources. The incident, which occurred in September, is raising questions about the legality of the operation and the rules of engagement authorized by the Trump administration.
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U.S. intelligence analysts, using drone surveillance, identified a boat off the coast of Trinidad and believed the 11 people aboard were transporting narcotics. Following the assessment, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order, according to two individuals with direct knowledge of the operation. “The order was to kill everyone,” one of the sources stated.
A missile struck the vessel, igniting it from bow to stern. For several minutes, commanders observed the burning ship via a live drone feed. When the smoke cleared, two survivors were discovered clinging to the wreckage. The development highlights the increasingly aggressive tactics employed in the U.S. effort to combat drug trafficking in the region.
The commander overseeing the September 2nd attack – the first strike in the Trump administration’s offensive against drug trafficking in the Caribbean – ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions, two sources said. Both men were then struck and disappeared beneath the waves.
Potential Legal Ramifications
Hegseth’s order, previously unreported, adds a new layer of complexity to the U.S. operation. According to current and former U.S. officials and experts in the law of war, the Pentagon’s campaign, which has resulted in over 80 deaths to date, is unlawful and could expose those directly involved to potential prosecution.
The alleged drug traffickers did not pose an imminent threat to the United States and were not, as the Trump administration contends, engaged in an “armed conflict” with the U.S., these officials and experts argue. In the absence of a declared state of war, killing all crew members aboard these vessels “amounts to murder,” said Todd Huntley, a former military lawyer who advised special operations forces for seven years during the height of the U.S. counterterrorism campaign.
PHOTO EVELYN HOCKSTEIN, ARCHIVES REUTERS
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
Even if the U.S. were at war, the order to kill all occupants of the boat who were no longer able to fight “would essentially be ordering no quarter, which is a war crime,” according to Huntley, now director of the national security law program at Georgetown University Law Center.
Pentagon Denies Allegations
Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Sean Parnell declined to answer questions regarding Hegseth’s order, further details of the operation, and the involvement of special forces. “This entire account is completely false,” he asserted. “Operations to dismantle narco-terrorism and protect the homeland from deadly drugs are a resounding success.”
The commander of the operation, Admiral Frank M. “Mitch” Bradley, told participants during a secure conference call that the survivors remained legitimate targets, as they could theoretically call other smugglers to retrieve them and their cargo, according to two individuals. He then authorized the second strike to adhere to Hegseth’s directive that everyone be killed.
PHOTO FOURNIE PAR LE SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND CENTRAL
Admiral Frank M. “Mitch” Bradley, during a speech at MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, Florida, in July.
Later that day, President Donald Trump released a 29-second video taken by a surveillance drone showing a portion of the attack, but not the second strike against the survivors.
In the weeks following the attack, the Trump administration informed Congress that the United States was engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” with “organizations designated as terrorist.” The White House cited an opinion from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel stating that personnel involved in military strikes and following orders consistent with the law of war are not subject to prosecution because the U.S. is in an armed conflict.
“One of the problems with the law of armed conflict is that the state using force is judge, jury, and executioner,” Huntley explained.
Since the initial attack, the Pentagon has destroyed at least 22 other boats, including a semi-submersible, in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, killing 71 other suspected drug traffickers, according to officials and internal data reviewed by The Washington Post.
PHOTO RICARDO ARDUENGO, ARCHIVES REUTERS
An MQ-9 Reaper attack and surveillance drone of the U.S. Air Force is inspected by personnel at Rafael Hernández Airport in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, in November.
Orders were subsequently changed to instruct personnel to rescue any surviving crew members from attacks. The exact timing and source of the revised directive remain unknown.
If the video of the explosion that killed the two survivors on September 2nd were to become public, people would be horrified, one source who watched the live feed said.
In a report submitted to the White House, the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) stated that the second strike was intended to sink the boat and eliminate a navigational hazard – not to kill the survivors – according to another individual who read the report.
The same explanation was provided to lawmakers during two closed-door briefings, according to two congressional aides. This has fueled frustration among some members of Congress who believe the Pentagon has not been forthcoming in its description of events.
“The idea that debris from a small boat in a vast ocean poses a danger to maritime traffic is patently absurd, and killing the survivors is clearly illegal,” said Representative Seth Moulton, a Democrat.
Late October, the former Marine, highly critical of Donald Trump, received a classified briefing from the Pentagon on the strikes with other members of the House Armed Services Committee.
“Mark my words: it may take time, but Americans will be prosecuted for this, either for war crimes or for straight-up murder,” Moulton warned.
This article was originally published in The Washington Post.
