US military conducts strike on another suspected drug boat as probe into the first strike begins

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Southern Command reported conducting another strike against a small boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, marking the end of a nearly three-week pause.

This marks the 22nd strike carried out by the U.S. military against vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific that the Trump administration has identified as involved in drug trafficking.

According to a social media post from the Southern Command, four people were killed in Thursday’s strike, bringing the total reported deaths from the campaign to at least 87.

A video released alongside the announcement shows a small boat moving through the water before a large explosion engulfs it. The footage then zooms out to show the vessel ablaze with thick smoke rising from it.

The strike coincided with classified briefings on Capitol Hill, where Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley spoke with lawmakers as they investigate the first strike carried out by the military on Sept. 2. The briefings followed a report alleging that Bradley ordered a follow-on attack targeting survivors to meet Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s directives.

Bradley denied that Hegseth issued any “kill them all” orders, but video evidence of the strikes prompted serious questions from some lawmakers. Legal experts have warned that targeting survivors of a strike at sea could violate international laws governing armed conflict.

Bradley appeared before lawmakers alongside Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, providing new information at a critical moment as Hegseth’s leadership faces scrutiny. However, the sessions did not fully address questions about the legal justification for President Donald Trump’s use of war powers against suspected drug traffickers.

Reactions from lawmakers varied. Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas said the video showed survivors “trying to flip a boat loaded with drugs bound for the United States back over so they could stay in the fight.”

In contrast, Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, called what he saw “one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service.”

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