The commander of US Navy Special Operations, Admiral Frank "Mitch" Bradley, told Congress that he never received an order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegsett to "kill 'em all" during the Sept. 2 operation that killed two survivors of an initial attack on a vessel suspected of carrying drugs in international waters off Venezuela, the Associated Press reported, BTA reports.
According to Republican Senator Tom Cotton, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Admiral Bradley was adamant in his testimony that he was not ordered to show no mercy or kill everyone.
Democratic representatives, who also heard from the admiral and watched a video of the incident, described the attack as deeply disturbing.
Democratic Congressman Adam Smith said the order was essentially "destroy the drugs and kill the 11 people on board." He stressed the need for an investigation, adding that the two survivors were "clothed, clinging to the bow of an overturned, unmanageable boat, drifting on the water."
Lawmakers are demanding a full account of the actions of US forces after the “Washington Post“ reported that Admiral Bradley ordered the attack on the survivors on September 2 to carry out Hegseth's order to “kill everyone.” Legal experts say such an action would constituted a crime if the survivors were actually targeted by the second strike.