US politicians are pressing the Trump government for answers about military strikes on suspected Venezuelan drug boats, after a report alleged that a follow-up strike was ordered to kill survivors of an initial attack. More than 80 people have been killed since early September.
Republican-led committees overseeing the Pentagon have vowed to conduct “vigorous oversight” into the US boat strikes in the Caribbean.
US media reported that a US strike on a boat on 2 September left two survivors, but that a second attack was carried out to comply with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s orders to “kill everybody” on board – raising fresh legality questions.
“Hegseth” decried the report as “fake news”, while US President “Donald Trump” said he believed his defence secretary “100%”. The Trump administration says it is acting in self-defence by destroying boats carrying illicit drugs to the US.
