Pentagon Knew Survivors Remained on Second Caribbean Boat Strike

The Pentagon was aware that people had survived an initial September strike on a suspected drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean Sea before U.S. forces carried out a second attack, two people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press.

The follow-up strike was justified as necessary to sink the vessel, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the operation publicly. The Trump administration has said all 11 people aboard were killed.

It remains unclear who approved the strikes or whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth played a role, one of the people said. Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, whom the administration says ordered the second attack, is expected to brief lawmakers in a classified session Thursday. Hegseth has defended the operation as a decision made in the “fog of war,” saying he did not see survivors and left the scene before the mission concluded.

The defense secretary is facing mounting scrutiny as the U.S. campaign targeting alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific expands. Legal experts and some lawmakers say firing on survivors would violate the laws of armed conflict.

This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.