Four dead in US drug boat incident while Hegseth faces impeachment charges

The United States has executed another deadly strike against a suspected drug smuggling vessel in the Caribbean, reigniting debate over the legality of such military actions. This marks the first publicly disclosed strike in nearly three weeks, according to the U.S. Southern Command.

In a statement on Thursday, the Command confirmed that it conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel in international waters operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization. The operation resulted in the deaths of four individuals and was reportedly ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following assertions by the Trump administration that the vessel was involved in narcotics trafficking.

Hegseth has faced scrutiny for allegedly instructing forces to kill them all during the first strike of the campaign on September 2. On Thursday, Michigan Representative Shri Thanedar announced plans to introduce articles of impeachment against Hegseth, citing both the boat strikes and his use of the messaging app Signal to coordinate attacks.

This latest action is the U.S. militarys 22nd strike on maritime drug trafficking operations in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, with the overall campaign resulting in at least 87 fatalities.

Video released of the strike shows a small boat navigating the waters before being engulfed in a massive explosion. According to the military, intelligence confirmed the vessel was carrying illegal drugs along a known trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific.

The Pentagon and White House face criticism regarding the legality of these operations, with some labeling the strikes as potential extrajudicial killings. The Trump administration, however, maintains that lethal force is justified, framing the conflict as a war against drug cartels. The President has invoked broad wartime powers, declaring that the drug operations constitute an armed attack against the United States.

Among those killed were eleven suspected traffickers, including two survivors of the initial strike, who died in a follow-up operationa move some legal experts warn could violate international warfare law. Lawmakers began investigating the incident, reviewing full strike footage in a closed session amid calls for public disclosure.

Admiral Frank Bradley, who led the attack, denied that Hegseth ordered the killing of all aboard. However, Representative Jim Himes, senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, described the footage as one of the most troubling he has seen, noting that two individuals in distress were killed despite their vessel being destroyed. Conversely, Republican Senator Tom Cotton argued that the survivors were legitimate targets as they attempted to recover the boat.

Hegseth stated during a cabinet meeting that he did not see any survivors during the initial September strike, citing the fog of war, and was not present for the subsequent strike. He has previously faced criticism for using Signal on a personal device to transmit sensitive military information.

Thanedar accused Hegseth of committing war crimes and called for his removal, although the impeachment effort is seen as unlikely to succeed. Admiral Alvin Holsey, head of U.S. Southern Command and overseeing the boat strikes, will retire later this month, having expressed concerns about the unclear legal standing of the operations.

Author: Ava Mitchell