House and Senate committees launch inquiries into reported second strike on alleged drug boat

Source: NBC News

Nov. 29, 2025, 10:07 PM EST


Both the House and Senate have started inquiries into a reported second strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean last September which killed the survivors of an initial strike.

According to reporting from The Washington Post, which cited "two people with direct knowledge of the operation," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth allegedly gave a spoken order to kill everyone on board a vessel suspected of carrying drugs on Sept. 2 — the first strike of nearly two dozen on other vessels in the region since that day. Additionally, The Post said its reporting "is based on interviews with and accounts from seven people with knowledge of the Sept. 2 strike and the overall operation."

The Post reported that after an initial strike showed two survivors, the commander overseeing the attack reportedly ordered a second strike to kill them. NBC News has not independently confirmed The Washington Post’s reporting. The top Republican and Democrat on the GOP-led Senate Armed Services Committee said in a statement Friday that the committee was aware of recent reports. “The Committee has directed inquiries to the [Department of Defense], and we will be conducting vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances,” Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Jack Reed, D-R.I., said in the statement.

The Republican-led House Armed Services Committee followed suit Saturday, with Reps. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and Adam Smith, D-Wash., issuing a joint statement in which they said the House Committee is “committed to providing rigorous oversight of the Department of Defense’s military operations in the Caribbean.”

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/house-senate-launch-inquiries-reported-second-strike-alleged-drug-boat-rcna246496

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