Drug boat strike row: Report claims boat was not headed to US; big blow to Trump, Hegseth
A new report contradicted President Donald Trump's claim that the alleged boat carrying drugs, which was hit on September 2, was headed towards the US.
The strike on the boat allegedly carrying drugs, which took place on September 2, has come under greater scrutiny. A new report has claimed that the boat was not headed towards the US, contradicting what President Donald Trump had shared about the strike on the day. The strike killed all 11 on board.
The admiral who oversaw the operation, reportedly told lawmakers that the boat was heading to link up with a larger vessel, headed for Suriname, a country in South America to the east of Venezuela, as per CNN. Trump, on September 2, had said on Truth Social: “The Strike occurred while these confirmed narco-terrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the U.S. These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital U.S. Interests. The Strike resulted in 3 male terrorists killed in action.”
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CNN's Zachary Cohen referenced this and wrote on X, “Secretary of State Marco Rubio told traveling press shortly after the strike that the alleged drug boat targeted was ‘probably headed to Trinidad or some other country in the Caribbean’,” while sharing the publication's report of the admiral's testimony.
The boat that was struck had plans to ‘rendezvous’ with a larger vessel, but the military was not able to locate the same, the admiral said in the briefings, as per CNN. While the admiral made scope for the fact that the boat could be headed to the US via Suriname, CNN reported that the trafficking routes via this country is usually for items headed to the European market.
As per US drug enforcement officials, US-bound routes have mainly been in the Pacific Ocean in recent times, the publication added. The vessel had also reportedly turned around when it was struck by US forces, the publication reported, citing the admiral's account of things.
The boat was struck four times. The first time, it split the vessel into half, and left two survivors clinging to a capsized portion, as per CNN. The subsequent strikes killed them and sank the vessel.
Hegseth under pressure to release full video
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's role in the strike has come under intense scrutiny, especially in light of the alleged order. The admiral noted that he understood the mission objective to be to kill all 11 on board and sink the vessel, the publication also reported.
Hegseth has been under pressure to release the full video of the strike on September 2, so as to give context of what happened. However, he declined a direct answer when asked if they'd be releasing the files. Lucas Tomlinson of Fox News asked Hegseth this and the Defense Secretary replied that they were ‘reviewing it’.
