Pentagon knew boat attack left survivors but still launched a follow-on strike, AP sources say

U.S. military officials were aware that survivors remained on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean Sea following an initial strike in September, yet proceeded with a second attack that ultimately killed all 11 people aboard, according to two sources familiar with the incident who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The sources revealed that the rationale behind the follow-up strike was the perceived necessity to sink the vessel completely. The new details raise serious questions about the legality of the operation and the chain of command involved in ordering the strikes.

What remains unclear is who authorized the second strike and whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth played a direct role in the decision-making process. These questions have become central to congressional investigations launched to determine if U.S. forces acted within legal boundaries during the military operation.

Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley, who the Trump administration says ordered the second strike, is scheduled to appear Thursday in a classified briefing with the House and Senate Armed Services committees. Congressional leaders are expected to press Bradley for answers about the decision-making process surrounding the controversial operation.

The Pentagon declined to comment Wednesday when asked about these new details regarding the September 2 attack, which marked the beginning of what has grown into a broader military campaign against alleged drug trafficking vessels.

Hegseth has publicly defended the second strike as a decision made in the “fog of war.” During a recent White House Cabinet meeting, he stated that he didn’t observe any survivors but also “didn’t stick around” for the remainder of the mission. The defense secretary has maintained that Bradley “made the right call” in ordering the follow-up attack, insisting the admiral “had complete authority to do so.”

The Trump administration has taken the unprecedented position that the U.S. is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, despite Congress never authorizing military force in the region. This legal justification has raised alarm among experts who question whether such operations violate both peacetime laws and established rules governing armed conflict.

When asked Wednesday whether he would release video footage of the follow-on strike as demanded by Democratic lawmakers, President Donald Trump told reporters, “I don’t know what they have, but whatever they have we’d certainly release. No problem.”

The situation has prompted bipartisan concern in Congress. According to one source, information about the follow-up strike was not initially disclosed to lawmakers during a classified briefing held days after the incident in September. When details eventually emerged, the explanations provided by the Defense Department proved “broadly unsatisfactory” to members of national security committees.

The September 2 incident was just the first in what has become an extensive campaign, with the Trump administration reporting over 20 strikes and more than 80 people killed in what it describes as counterdrug operations.

The controversy has expanded beyond this single incident. The family of Colombian man Alejandro Carranza has filed a formal challenge with a prominent human rights organization in the Americas, arguing that his death during a September 15 strike on his fishing vessel constituted an extrajudicial killing in violation of human rights conventions.

In a rare show of bipartisan oversight, both Republican and Democratic leaders of the Armed Services committees in the House and Senate have launched investigations into these military strikes, reflecting serious concerns across party lines about the legal basis and execution of these operations.

As Thursday’s classified briefing approaches, lawmakers are seeking clarity on the command structure, legal justifications, and precise circumstances surrounding what appears to be an increasingly controversial military campaign in waters near the United States.