4 killed in another boat strike in Pacific, confirms Pentagon

On Dec. 4, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel in international waters operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization. Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was carrying illicit narcotics and… pic.twitter.com/pqksvxM3HP

— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) December 4, 2025

The latest strike was the first in nearly three weeks. It comes at a time when White House and Pentagon struggle to answer questions about the legality to kill suspected drug smugglers with military strikes.

Briefings reveal survivors had no devices despite earlier Pentagon assertions

The two men killed as they clung to their capsized vessel during a follow-up strike on September 2 did not appear to have radios or any other communications devices, according to the senior military officer who oversaw the operation. He relayed this information to lawmakers on Thursday, according to three sources with direct knowledge of his closed-door briefings, CNN reported.

Since September, defence officials have pushed back against criticism that the two survivors targeted in the second strike were legitimate targets because they seemed to be calling for help or reinforcements. In an earlier briefing, officials suggested that if backup had arrived, it could have allowed them to continue trafficking drugs from their sinking vessel.

But on Thursday, during a classified session in which key lawmakers reviewed video of the incident, Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley — who led Joint Special Operations Command at the time — acknowledged that the survivors were in no position to issue a distress call.

According to Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, and Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, who were both briefed on the incident, the military fired a total of four missiles to destroy the boat: two in the initial strike, according to Coons, and two more in the follow-up strike, reported CNN.

What happened during the September 2 strike?

After the initial strike, nine people were killed, and the front portion of the boat was overturned but still afloat, according to lawmakers and congressional staff who viewed the video or were briefed on it. Two survivors, shirtless, clung to the hull, tried unsuccessfully to flip it back over, then climbed on it and slipped off into the water, over and over.

However, commander of the operation, Adm. Frank M. Bradley, ordered a follow-up strike, killing the two survivors.

Debate over the incident intensified after a November 28 Washington Post article alleged that Bradley ordered the follow-up strike because Hegseth had given him a verbal instruction to “kill everyone.” During a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Hegseth said he witnessed the initial strike but left for other engagements and did not learn of the second strike until hours later.

The admiral denied that Hegseth had told him to give an order not to grant quarter, meaning kill enemies who were out of the fight. Instead, he insisted that the follow-up strike was lawful, in part, according to people familiar with the briefings, because of the purported risk that cocaine might have remained.

According to Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, and Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, who were also briefed, the military used a total of four missiles to sink the boat: two missiles in the initial strike, according to Coons, and two in the second strike.

Since September, the US military says it has conducted 22 strikes on boats suspected of carrying drugs, and killed almost 86 people.

(With inputs from New York Times, CNN, BBC)