The US has reportedly struck a vessel in the Caribbean a second time to kill two survivors of an earlier attack. The Pentagon denies the allegations
The United States is at the center of an international scandal. US media reported that the military had carried out a second attack on a bombed boat in the Caribbean Sea, with the aim of killing two survivors of the first raid.
Pete Hegseth denied the allegations. PHOTO: X/@CYBERMINDS67
The first missile fired at the ship caused a heavy fire, and commanders later observed two crew members in the water, clinging to the wreckage. The commander in charge of the mission reportedly ordered a second strike, to comply with instructions from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was reportedly willing “killing all on board”. In all, 11 people died, according to the Washington Post, which cited two sources with direct knowledge of the operation.
Sources cited by CNN confirm that the second attack killed the two survivors and caused the boat to completely sink. The same sources state that the September 2nd incident was “the only known case in which the US military deliberately killed survivors of an attack”.
The Pentagon denies the allegations
According to CNN, Pentagon officials told US lawmakers that the secondary strike was not intended to kill the survivors, but to sink the ship, which they believed “a danger to the nation”.
Pete Hegseth denied the allegations and defended the series of operations in the Pacific and Caribbean, where US forces have bombed more than 20 vessels since September, killing at least 83 people.
“These highly effective attacks are specifically designed to be 'lethal kinetic bombings'. The stated intent is to stop the flow of deadly drugs, destroy drug boats, and kill the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people.” Hegseth wrote on social media, calling the media reports right “manufactured”. He claims that “every trafficker killed” would be affiliated with a terrorist organization.
Tense context in the Caribbean
The September 2 attack opened a period of military escalation in the region amid tensions between Venezuela and the United States.
On November 16, Washington sent the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford, the largest and most advanced aircraft carrier in the American fleet, to the area.
The US has also designated Cartel de los Soles, a group it links to the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, as a terrorist organization.
