A US Navy admiral commanding the US military strikes on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean told lawmakers 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 survivors.
Admiral Frank “Mitch” 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 the 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.
While Republican 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 Congressman Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.