Those killed in September 2 boat strike were on US list of military targets, Admiral Bradley tells lawmakers

NBC News, citing two US officials and one person familiar with the congressional briefings, reported that the list includes individuals who are eligible for being targeted, including with lethal action, if given the opportunity.

Admiral Bradley told lawmakers that the US intelligence had confirmed the identities of the 11 people on the boat and validated them as legitimate targets before the military airstrike was launched.

US military strikes on alleged drug boats

On September 2, the US military carried out the first airstrike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean. Since then, 21 more such strikes have been carried out by the US military, in which a total of 86 people have been killed.

Until now, the US has not revealed the identities of those killed in the airstrikes or provided evidence that the targeted boats were carrying narcotic substances.

Many have argued that it was unusual to have 11 occupants on a drug-trafficking boat, as such operations are normally carried out by fewer people.

Controversy around September 2 strike

The September 2 strike has come under bipartisan scrutiny in the US after it emerged that the military carried out a second attack on two survivors who were clinging to the wreckage of their boat, which was struck earlier.

Legal and military experts have argued that such a strike amounts to a war crime.

The Defense Department’s Law of War Manual forbids attacks on combatants who are incapacitated, unconscious or shipwrecked, as long as they abstain from hostilities and do not attempt to escape. The manual cites firing upon shipwreck survivors as an example of a “clearly illegal” order that should be refused.

A video of the attack was shown to members of Congress on Capitol Hill behind closed doors on Thursday.

The Washington Post had reported that the second strike was carried out on the order of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

According to NBC News, Bradley told lawmakers that the orders he received from Hegseth were to kill the individuals on the approved target list, which included everyone on the boat, then destroy the drugs and sink the boat.

Earlier, it was reported that Admiral Bradley told lawmakers that he saw the two survivors as legitimate targets and ordered the second strike, as they could call for backup to retrieve the smuggled cocaine.

Hegseth defends September 2 strike

Meanwhile, Hegseth said he still backs the decision to launch a second strike on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean.

“I fully support that strike,” Hegseth said at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California, on Saturday. “I would have made the same call myself.”

Hegseth also repeated his earlier claim that he had seen the first strike on September 2, but then left the room to attend another meeting. He declined to say whether the administration would release the full video, calling the issue “under review.”