US EditionSurvivors of boat strike did not radio for backup, Bradley tells lawmakers: Report
Admiral Bradley told lawmakers the two survivors lacked radios, challenging claims they sought help before a second strike killed them in a controversial U.S. maritime drug operation.
- Adm. Frank 'Mitch' Bradley told House and Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees that the two survivors from the September 2 Caribbean strike did not appear to have radios or communications devices.
- Defense officials had argued survivors were 'radioing for help', prompting further action, while the initial strike used two missiles that split the suspected cocaine-carrying vessel and killed nine people.
- Commanders reviewed the video for roughly 41 minutes while consulting a JAG officer who assessed a follow-on strike as legal, and Bradley then ordered two additional missiles to destroy the remains.
- The deaths prompted immediate questions about whether the action violated the Pentagon law-of-war manual, with lawmakers and legal authorities raising concerns and the Senate Armed Services Committee pledging oversight.
- Shifting accounts of the September 2 strike have left lawmakers divided and prompted increased oversight as the wider maritime campaign's toll — at least 87 killed — draws warnings from legal experts.
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What to know about Admiral Bradley, who oversaw controversial boat strikes
As Congress raises questions about the legality of U.S. military boat strikes in the Caribbean, the spotlight is falling on Admiral Mitch Bradley, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command.
CNN exclusive: Survivors clinging to capsized boat didn’t radio for backup, admiral overseeing double-tap strike tells lawmakers
The two men killed as they floated holding onto their capsized boat in a secondary strike against a suspected drug vessel in early September did not appear to have radio or other communications devices, the top military official overseeing the strike told lawmakers on Thursday, according to three sources with direct knowledge of his congressional briefings.
Survivors clinging to capsized boat didn’t radio for backup, admiral overseeing double-tap strike tells lawmakers
The two men killed as they floated holding onto their capsized boat in a secondary strike against a suspected drug vessel in early September did not appear to have radio or other communications devices, the top military official overseeing the strike told lawmakers on Thursday, according to two sources with direct knowledge of his congressional briefings.
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