The admiral in charge of the September 2 double-tap strike against an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea told lawmakers that everyone on board was on an approved list of military targets, according to a new report.
During a closed-door briefing with a dozen lawmakers on Thursday, Admiral Frank âMitchâ Bradley said all 11 people on the ship were on a list of narco-terrorists who military and intelligence officials determined could be targeted with lethal measures, NBC News reports. Bradley said intelligence officials confirmed their identities and validated them as targets, according to the outlet. The outlet cited two U.S. officials and one person familiar with the talks.
Bradley also said U.S. intelligence did not determine the drugs on the vessel were heading to the U.S., but rather that the vessel was traveling toward Suriname in South America, according to NBC News.
This aligns with another report by CNN, which details how Bradley told lawmakers the vessel was planning to link up with a larger boat that was headed to Suriname. Bradley argued there was still a possibility that the shipâs drugs could have made it to the U.S., according to CNN.
The Independent has contacted the Pentagon for comment. The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment from NBC News and CNN.
These reports come as questions mount over the September attack, after The Washington Post reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered Bradley to âkill everybodyâ on the vessel.
When two survivors were spotted following the initial strike, Bradley ordered a second strike to comply with that earlier order, the Post reported. The Pentagon called the Postâs narrative âcompletely falseâ at the time.
Some lawmakers and ex-military officials have raised concerns that the strikes could violate international law. Meanwhile, the White House has maintained that the strikes were conducted legally and that Hegseth authorized Bradley to carry out the attacks.
Hegseth said Tuesday that he âdidnât stick aroundâ after the first strike, and that he âdid not personally see survivors.â The defense secretary has signaled his support for Bradley over the last week, and on Saturday said that he would have âmade the same callâ himself.
During the closed-door briefing on Thursday, Bradley told lawmakers the defense secretary ordered him to kill the people on the approved military list, destroy the drugs on the boat and sink the vessel, NBC News reports.
The admiral told lawmakers he targeted the boat after the survivors were spotted because the drugs hadnât been destroyed, the survivors hadnât surrendered, they werenât visibly injured and they were on the approved list of targets, according to NBC News.
Bradley reportedly said that the second strike killed the two survivors but did not sink the boat, so he ordered two more strikes.
In another briefing, Bradley was also asked if Hegseth gave him a âno quarter order,â which is an illegal order to kill enemies even if they surrendered or were seriously injured, NBC News reports. Bradley said he was not given that order, and that he would not have followed it if he had, according to the outlet.
