US senator says 'very possible' war crime committed in September drug boat strike

US Sen. Chris Van Hollen said Sunday that a war crime may have been committed during the Trump administration's initial military strike against a suspected drug trafficking vessel in the Caribbean in September.

Speaking to ABC News, the Maryland Democrat referred to a report in The Washington Post alleging that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order before the Sept. 2 operation to kill everyone on board.

According to the report, which the US administration denied, a commander ordered a second strike to eliminate two survivors from the initial attack to comply with the directive.

Van Hollen argued that even if one accepts the administration's premise that the US is in an "armed conflict" with drug gangs, killing survivors would constitute a war crime.

He noted, however, that officials have not publicly justified this legal framework, warning that if the war theory is wrong, the incident amounts to "plain murder."

The senator emphasized that the defense secretary "should be held accountable" for such orders.

The Pentagon has rejected the allegations, with a spokesperson stating the story's "entire narrative was false." Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem similarly dismissed the report.

Meanwhile, Republican Rep. Don Bacon expressed skepticism that Hegseth would issue such an order, though he termed the report "a big concern."

Both the House and Senate armed services committees are currently investigating the incident, which was part of a broader campaign since September that has seen at least 21 strikes against boats suspected of transporting narcotics, killing at least 83.