Washington — US defence minister Pete Hegseth says he watched the first US strike in September on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in real time but did not see survivors in the water or the second lethal strike that he described as being carried out in the “fog of war”.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting alongside President Donald Trump, Hegseth defended the follow-up strike that has drawn bipartisan scrutiny from Congress and concerns about the legality of the administration’s moves.
The Pentagon chief’s remarks were his most detailed of the events on September 2, when US forces destroyed the first in a series of vessels allegedly transporting drugs as part of Trump’s efforts to curtail the inflow of narcotics from Latin America and put pressure on Venezuela.
The US military has carried out at least 21 strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific since early September, killing at least 83 people as Trump escalates a military build-up against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government.
Hegseth has faced particular scrutiny about the strikes after the Washington Post reported the commander overseeing the operation ordered a second strike to take out two survivors who were clinging to the structure in the water so as to comply with the Pentagon chief’s direction that everyone be killed.
Sitting next to Trump at the White House, Hegseth said he had seen the first strike that day and then went to another meeting.
“I watched that first strike live,” Hegseth said. “At the department of war we’ve got a lot of things to do, so I didn’t stick around ... I moved on to my next meeting.”
A couple of hours later, he said, he learnt that Admiral Frank Bradley had ordered the second strike. “Admiral Bradley made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth’s orders
Two US officials said Hegseth has ordered lethal strikes on drug vessels, including the one in question, as part of a broader Trump administration campaign that equates suspected drug traffickers with terrorists despite objections from many legal experts.
However, the officials did not confirm Hegseth’s involvement in the operational decision-making that led to the second strike on the day in question.
Pressed on whether he saw survivors after the first strike, Hegseth said: “I did not personally see survivors. That thing was on fire ... This is called the fog of war.”
US legislators, who have tried repeatedly to rein in the Trump administration’s aggression against Venezuela, said they would file a new resolution to force a congressional vote on the issue if the administration carries out a strike on Venezuela.
“Unauthorised military action against Venezuela would be a colossal and costly mistake that needlessly risks the lives of our service members,” Democrats Tim Kaine, Chuck Schumer and Republican Rand Paul said in a joint statement.
“Should a strike occur, we will call up a War Powers Resolution to force a debate and vote in Congress that would block the use of US forces in hostilities against or within Venezuela,” they said.
Three House of Representatives legislators — Democrats Jim McGovern of Massachusetts and Joaquin Castro of Texas and Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky — filed their own resolution on Tuesday that also would block the Trump administration from engaging in hostilities within or against Venezuela without congressional authorisation.
Reuters
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.