‘Fabricated, inflammatory’: US defence secretary Pete Hegseth slams reports on Caribbean strike – controversy explained

US secretary of war Pete Hegseth has sharply rejected allegations that he illegally ordered troops to 'kill everybody' on an alleged 'narco-boat' targeted in a Caribbean missile strike, denouncing the reports as “fake news” and defending the Trump administration’s maritime campaign as both lawful and necessary.In a post on X on Saturday, Hegseth accused the report of waging a “fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory” campaign, saying: “As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland.” He added that the operations had always been described as “lethal, kinetic strikes,” with the stated aim of halting drug flows, destroying “narco-boats,” and killing “narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people.” “As we’ve said from the beginning, and in every statement, these highly effective strikes are specifically intended to be ‘lethal, kinetic strikes.’ The declared intent is to stop lethal drugs, destroy narco-boats, and kill the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people. Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization,” Hegseth added.Hegseth also used the statement to contrast the Trump administration’s approach to border and narcotics enforcement with that of Joe Biden, claiming the previous government “preferred the kid gloves approach”. According to him, the current actions are “lawful under both U.S. and international law”, comply fully with the law of armed conflict, and have been approved by “the best military and civilian lawyers”. He said personnel in US Southern Command risked their lives daily and vowed: “I will ALWAYS have their back.”His remarks followed a Washington Post report alleging that, during a September 2 surveillance operation involving 11 people aboard a suspected narcotics vessel, Hegseth gave a spoken directive to “kill everybody”, as recounted by two people with direct knowledge of the mission. The Post reported that after an initial missile strike, two survivors were seen clinging to the debris; a second strike was then reportedly ordered to comply with the directive.According to The Guardian, that strike was the first of many in a sustained offensive that has killed more than 80 people and targeted at least 22 boats since September. USA Today has similarly reported that 83 people have been killed in at least 21 attacks. The Trump administration has argued that those on the vessels were drug traffickers linked to groups such as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, which Washington has designated a terrorist organisation. However, both outlets note that no detailed public evidence has been provided, and some narcotics experts quoted by the Associated Press say many of those killed were neither “narco-terrorists” nor cartel leaders.Senate armed services committee leaders Roger Wicker and Jack Reed have announced an inquiry into the strikes, while lawmakers including Republicans and Democrats cited by USA Today have questioned whether the operations amount to unlawful or extrajudicial killings.